Coal and Cherry
by WhySo5irius
Summary: It's their seventh year at Hogwarts. Lily Evans finds out she's Head Girl and is ecstatic. But when she figures out that the person she most detests, James Potter, is Head Boy, she thinks her seventh year is ruined entirely. But it might just turn out to be the best year of her life...
1. News

"Lily! Lily, wake _up_!"

"Grurmf,"

"LILY!"

"Grurmf,"

"Lily, guess what? You're Head Girl!"

"I'm _what_?" Lily suddenly sat up straight in her bed, making Alice jump.

"Works all the time," she said, smirking. Lily groaned and smacked Alice across the head. "Ow! That hurt," Alice whined, rubbing the spot where Lily had hit her.

It was mid-August, and Lily was staying at Alice's house for a few weeks of the summer vacation. Lily's best friend, Hestia Jones, however, couldn't make it and was staying at her own house because she had to babysit for her little brother, Max. Alice, Lily, and Hestia were always in one group at Hogwarts together.

"Best friends don't slap each other," Alice grumbled. Lily was suddenly reminded of Hestia and how much she missed her. Even though they weren't that much alike, she thought that was what made them inseparable.

"I'm not a very good best friend," Lily said, rubbing her eyes. She was suddenly conscious of how messy her hair was- the ponytail she had tied before going to bed had loosened a bit and her hair was now all over the place. Tugging the rubber band from her hair, Lily noticed that it was still dark outside. As her hair fell in curtains around her shoulders, Lily asked, "Alice- what time is it?"

Alice fidgeted a bit in her seat and said in a small voice," Around seven,"

"WHAT?" Lily shrieked.

"Hey, calm down! I needed to tell you something!" Alice said cautiously, waving her arms in front of her as if to expect Lily to start throwing things at her. Lily was never fond of waking up in the early mornings.

"Better be good," Lily sad threateningly.

"Yeah, you're going to like it, "Alice said, winking at her. "We're going to get our Hogwarts letters today! Dad told me!" Benjamin Prewett, Alice's father, was a professional Auror, as was her mother, Martha, and was in very close ties with Dumbledore. "Bet you can't wait to be Head Girl, right?" she said, punching Lily in the shoulder lightly.

"Oh, shut up," Lily said modestly, but nonetheless had a hopeful twinkle in her eyes. She had wanted to be Head Girl ever since her first year at Hogwarts. And they were going to get the letters today? She was so nervous- how could she be ready for this?

"Yeah, come on, they're going to arrive any minute now," Alice said, grabbing Lily's arm and dragging her off the bed. Lily landed with a thump on the floor, her auburn hair all over her face.

"OW! _Alice!_" She yelled, brushing her hair out of her eyes and rubbing her back.

"See you downstairs!" Alice said over her shoulder, before dashing across the room and disappearing down the staircase, which was right outside Lily's room.

Lily got up carefully, so as to not cause any more pain to her already sore back. She had been concealing her happiness earlier, and was fighting the urge to yell out of sheer nervousness. Smiling to herself, Lily made her way across the room- she wanted that Head Girl badge more than anything.

"BREAKFAST!" Someone yelled from downstairs. Lily ran down the staircase and found herself in a cozy little kitchen, with the dining table right in front of her and cupboards lining the walls. Mrs. Prewett was a little way away, doing something near the stove, and Alice and her father were sitting, each at the two ends of the table. Mr. Prewett had his face buried in that morning's _Daily Prophet, _and Alice was sitting with her head in her hands, apparently bored. Lily felt sorry for her; she had no siblings to keep her company. _I would rather be in her place than have Petunia as a sister, _she thought bitterly. Petunia and Lily had never gotten along very well, seeing as she was a muggle and Lily was a witch. Petunia had always been jealous of Lily, and had once even tried to send an owl to Dumbledore, begging him to accept her in his school. Ever since Lily had gone away to Hogwarts, they had grown further and further apart.

Alice's face brightened when she saw Lily, and at once split into a smile. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," Lily said back.

"Morning, dear," Mrs. Prewett called out to her, a wide smile on her face. She had always been fond of Lily.

"Good morning," Lily replied, ruining her politeness by yawning suddenly. Mr. Prewett chuckled softly.

"I thought you'd be more excited, Lily, didn't Alice tell you about the Hogwarts letters?" he asked. Lily's eyes widened suddenly- she had momentarily forgotten about them. Alice's father seemed to get a response just by looking at her face and chuckled again. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Lily, just _forget _about it. I'm pretty sure you'll get the badge," she said.

"Pretty sure?" Lily asked incredulously. "_Pretty sure? _I need to be _sure _sure, no offense," she added hastily, in case Alice also wanted to be going for Head Girl. In that case, it would have been extremely rude of her in saying that.

Alice just laughed. "Really? You'd think _I _would want Head Girl? Face it, Lily, with you around, no one's got a chance," Lily's expression brightened considerably and her spirits lifted at the kind word Alice just gave her.

"Thanks, Alice, " she said quietly, sitting down in the chair next to her (It was a square table, two chairs on each side).

"Toast, dear?" asked Alice's mother kindly.

"Thank you," she said, as a hand reached out from behind her and put a plate in front of her. No less than three seconds later, a groan issued from the other side of the table.

"More killings?" Mrs. Prewett asked her husband, who had thrown the paper across the table (which had unfortunately landed in Alice's bowl of porridge), and now had his head in his hands.

"David Longbottom," he grumbled, as Alice and her mother turned white. Ignoring the newspaper which had landed in her bowl, Alice said in a shaking voice, "Frank's dad?" even though she knew the answer already, and her father nodded. He had developed a great friendship with David ever since Alice and Frank had started dating in their fifth year, and was absolutely devastated at his friend's death.

"Poor Frank! Alice, I think you should go talk to him," Mrs. Prewett told her daughter. Alice nodded, tears in her eyes.

Even though Lily didn't know the Longbottoms very well, she still felt an unexpected tug of grief at her stomach. It pained her to see her best friend cry, and gently kept her hand on her shoulder.

"Alice…" she began, but was cut off by a soft _peck peck_ at the window. All of them turned to look and Lily felt her stomach drop. It was unusual- having that pull of grief and that sense of nervousness engulfing her stomach at the same time.

Two tawny owls were fluttering outside, each with a letter tied to their legs. Even with the gleam of the morning sun in her eyes, Lily could still make out the unmistakable Hogwarts crest glittering in the sunlight.

All feeling of devastation was forgotten as Lily gave a nervous squeal and almost overturned a chair in her desperation of making it to the window.

"Hey, slow down there!" Mr. Prewett exclaimed as Lily very nearly knocked over his glass of orange juice in her attempts to get to the window. But Lily didn't listen. She would have been very surprised if she had actually heard a word he had said. Throwing open the window, she grabbed the two owls in each of her hands and practically threw one to Alice.

"Poor owl," Alice said, stroking the confused owl's head. She was extremely fond of animals and had almost yelled at Lily for throwing one around as if it was her plaything.

Lily untied the letter from her owl's legs and then released it. The owl flew away gratefully- it was obviously scared of Lily. What sort of a person threw owls around?

Lily tore open the letter with shaking fingers, groping inside the envelope for anything other than the usual letter telling them about their books for that year. Proving unsuccessful due to the fact that she could hardly hold it out of nervousness, Lily overturned it in irritation. Two pieces of parchment and a gold metallic something fell out onto the floor.

Lily immediately ducked under the table and retrieved the small object. Taking her seat again, Lily turned it over in her fingers and she moved it slightly as it shined in her eyes. It glittered up at her, and she could make out the prominent 'HG' carved into it. She sat stunned for a few seconds as Alice leaned down from behind her chair to get a good look at it.

"You're honestly surprised?" she asked and Lily nodded slowly. "Come on, Lily, you can't be _that _thick- everyone knew you were going to get Head Girl!" she said, snorting and rolling her eyes, "Little Miss Goody-Goody," she muttered under her breath and immediately regretted it as she got another smack to the head.

"Lily!" she moaned as her parents laughed. Lily suddenly remembered the pieces of parchment that fell out of the envelope and she bent down to retrieve them. This first one was the usual, telling her about what books she would need for that year. The second one, however, was written in narrow, slanting wirting that she recognized as Dumbledore's.

_Dear Ms. Evans,_

_Congratulations on becoming our new Head Girl! It gives me great pleasure to offer this position to you, as I know you will do it well. (I never pick favorites, but I confess that I had wanted to make you Head Girl ever since I first saw you use your Engorgement Charm on Mr. Potter's head in your first year- it was really remarkable)_

Lily laughed at that last sentence, remembering the scene where she had told Potter to shut up and that if his head would inflate even more he wouldn't be able to walk properly. After more of Potter's taunting, Lily couldn't take it anymore and actually inflated his head. Honestly, only Dumbledore would say something like that. Wait a minute- he had _seen _her do that? She couldn't remember very distinctly, but she was sure that no teacher had been around when she had jinxed Potter. Shaking her head slightly, she went back to reading the letter.

_You know the drill, Miss Evans, there will be a meeting for all prefects on the Hogwarts Express, so don't miss it! (Not that I think you will) As you may know, there will also be a separate meeting for you and our Head Boy on the train as well._

_I hope you are enjoying your summer vacation.._

_Signed,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

Lily giggled. She always thought Dumbledore's name was a bit funny.

"That's a lot of books," Mrs. Prewett said, eying Alice's letter.

"N.E.W.T. year, Mum, what do you expect?" Alice said, taking a bite into a piece of toast she had picked off Lily's plate.

"Hey, Ben, do we have an Auror meeting today?" Mrs. Prewett asked her husband, who was currently reading the Quidditch section of the newspaper (after carefully 'scourgify'ing it first).

"Damn it…Puddlemere United lost 270-30…" he said, slamming his fist on the table. Puddlemere United was his favorite Quidditch team. He suddenly looked up and, seeming to realize what his wife had asked him, said, "No, all meetings are cancelled till next Thursday. Why?"

Ignoring Ben's question, Mrs. Prewett turened to face her daughter. "How about we go to Diagon Alley today, then?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "_We_? Mum, me and Lily are perfectly capable of going by ourselves!"

"Both of you are still underage! You might get attacked!"

As Alice opened her mouth to retort, Lily nudged her painfully in the ribs which made her mouth shut immediately.

"Of course, you can come with us, Mrs. Prewett, " she said kindly, tucking a loose strand of her vibrant red hair behind her ear.

"Martha, dear," she said, looking at her with appreciative eyes.

Alice threw Lily an extremely annoyed look, while rubbing her ribs at the same time. "Come on, Lily, we need to get ready," she said, grabbing Lily's arm in an unnaturally firm way and dragging her across the dining room.

"See you in a half hour, Martha," Lily called behind her shoulder, feeling weirdly uncomfortable calling a forty-five year old, highly respectable Auror by her first name.

"A half hour it is, dear," Martha chuckled.

Alice had pulled Lily up the staircase, and, only when they were out of earshot, released her hand and turned to face her with angry eyes.

"What the _hell, _Lily!" she whispered in a furious tone. "You know perfectly well that she's being overprotective about this! You know we're capable of going by ourselves!"

"Come on, Alice, after what happened to the Longbottoms you can't blame her," Lily reasoned. At the mention of the Longbottoms, Alice's eyes filled with tears, but before Lily could say anything she turned on her heel and stormed into her room at the end of the passageway.

Lily sighed and retraced her steps into her own room. She would straighten things out with Alice later. She opened her the door to her closet and was scouting for an outfit to wear. Eventually, she emerged from the bathroom wearing a bright green v-neck top with frills at the bottom, and a tight black Capri. She had tied her long red hair in a ponytail- just the way she liked it. Stopping by the mirror for a few seconds before nodding satisfactorily, Lily grabbed her wand and handbag and skipped downstairs, eagerly waiting in the empty kitchen for Alice and Martha. Less than five minutes later, she heard footsteps and turned to see Alice coming down the staircase. Alice had left her shoulder-length brown hair open, and was wearing a sleeveless white shirt and brown shorts.

Noticing Lily's eyes on her, Alice shrugged,"Come on, Lily, don't you think it's hot today?"

"Not really," Lily replied.

"Look, I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have overreacted," Alice said quietly.

"Hey, it's okay," Lily shrugged, and then grinned. "I'm Head Girl, Alice. _Head Girl_!" she almost yelled, as Alice grinned back.

"Only Lily Evans," she said, shaking her head and smiling. "Surprised at the most obvious things,"

"Hey, I wonder who's Head Boy..."Lily said slowly, ignoring Alice's comment.

"Wow, we didn't give that a second thought…I _wonder _who it is," Alice said, suddenly lost in thought. "Who would you want it to be? I've heard the Heads have a whole separate dorm," she said, winking at Lily, who flushed.

"I-" Lily was cut off by the approach of Martha, who tottered into the kitchen, clasping her money bag shut as she edged nearer to them.

"Hey, Mum,"

"Hello, dears, ready to leave?" The girls nodded.

"All right then, since we're travelling by Floo…" Martha's voice trailed off as she disappeared into the next room, Lily and Alice close at her heels. As they entered, Martha was just grabbing the box of Floo powder which was lying near the fireplace, and opened it.

"I hate travelling by Floo," Alice groaned, and Lily felt a strange feeling of dread well up inside her- she hated travelling by Floo, too.

"Got a better idea?" Martha snapped at her, and Lily jumped. Somehow she had never registered Martha as a person who would snap at people.

"No," Alice said, and Martha's expression immediately morphed into her usual, kind one.

"Okay then, Alice, you go first, we'll see you at the Leaky Cauldron," she said.

"Right," Alice replied, grabbing a handful of the Floo powder and tossing it into the fireplace. Shuddering slightly, she yelled, "The Leaky Cauldron!" before stepping into the emerald-green flames and disappearing. Lily made to follow, but stopped as a voice sounded behind her.

"Lily!"

She turned around to see Ben standing in the doorway. "Is Alice gone? Am I too late? No, no, no serious news," he said hastily, watching the expression on Lily's face. "I just wanted to say goodbye,"

Lily smiled at him. "Goodbye, Ben," she said. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, bye, Lily," he said, waving. Lily gave him one last smile before following Alice into the emerald-green fire.


	2. Surprises

**Here's the second chapter...hope you like it! Please review!**

* * *

After the familiar feeling of having a whip churning her insides, Lily landed on her stomach on the cold stone floor of the Leaky Cauldron (empty at the moment), looking up to see Alice's face about a foot away from hers, and started.

"What the _hell_, Alice!" she said between coughs.

"You'd better move, or you're going to have Mum on top of you in the next few seconds," Alice said warningly. Lily scrambled to her feet immediately and started brushing soot out of her hair.

"Here she comes," Alice said. The next moment, Martha appeared, not on her stomach, like Lily, but landing gracefully on her feet.

"Hello, dears," she said absentmindedly, looking around. "Ah, Tom, there you are," she said, smiling. Lily turned around, and realized that the pub was not completely empty- there was a little old, stooping man standing against the wall wiping a glass, whom she had not noticed before. His filthy, black robes camouflaged so well with the wall behind him (no wonder Lily couldn't notice him!) that Lily was sure Martha had to look twice before realizing he was there. Ignoring Martha, _Quite rude of him, _thought Lily, Tom the Landlord gave Lily his usual wide, toothy grin.

"How come _everyone _loves you?" Alice muttered in her ear. Lily ignored her and reached forward to shake Tom's hand.

"Miss Evans," he said with his hoarse voice. "Long time no see- I've missed having you here,"

"Likewise, Tom," she replied with a smile.

"Come on, no time to waste, we need to go buy your books!" Martha said slightly irritably, probably because Tom had paid no attention to her even though she'd been there many times. "I have work to do at home, you know!" she added, pulling Alice's arm.

"Right, Lily, come on!" Alice said, grabbing Lily's shoulder and forcefully turning her around.

"Okay, see you around, Tom!" Lily said, following Alice and her mother out the back door.

"Hopefully we'll meet again, Miss Evans," Tom said sadly, before turning around and going back to wiping glasses.

* * *

"Wow, have I missed Diagon Alley," Lily sighed, eying the shops hungrily. Martha chuckled as she saw Lily and Alice looking as though they wanted to get away from her as fast as they could.

"All right, then how about I meet you here for lunch?" she asked. "You are now free from my clutches. Go!" she said, pushing their backs lightly. Alice grinned at her before darting into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

"I want an ice-cream! _Lily!_" she called behind her back. Lily shook her head before following Alice into the parlor. She was just opening the door when…

"LILY!"

Lily turned around and, before she could register the face of the person who had screamed out her name, was thrown backwards as a pair of arms wrapped around her neck and that familiar glossy black hair obstructed her eyesight.

"HESTIA!" she exclaimed, recognizing her best friend in the whole wide world. "Oh my god, it's been too long!" she said, returning her hug. Hestia let go of her and stood up straight. Lily rolled her eyes as she saw what she was wearing- only Hestia would wear something like that on a trip to Diagon Alley.

Hestia was dressed in a strapless knee-length dress which was a pale color of violet. It wasn't skin-tight though, and not frilly either, it was just…floaty. Lily thought the violet color went really well with Hestia's black hair, which she had left open, and which was falling down to her mid-upper-arm in long, swirly waves.

"High heels, Hestia, honestly?" Lily asked, eying Hestia's purple stilettos with curiosity. She had never been a great fan of fashion- who cared what you wore, as long as you were wearing something worth looking at?

Hestia didn't reply immediately, and was scanning Lily's outfit for any signs of un-cool looking garments.

"Of course," Lily rolled her eyes. "The usual fashion checkup-how could I forget?" she always felt uncomfortable being scrutinized- it was as if someone was x-raying you, but she relaxed slightly as she saw Hestia nod her approval.

"Do we have to do that _every _time, Hest?"

"You need to be noticeable," Hestia shrugged. "Anyway, how was your summer? You wouldn't believe what it's been like being stuck with Max for two and a half months!"

"Petunia's no better," Lily snorted. Hestia looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

"How was her engagement party?

"Horrible, I swear, her fiancé looks like he's got a permanent engorgement charm put on him- seriously, he's about four times Tuney's size, and you _know _how thin she is, and his ego is more in size than _all _his fat put together, and that's saying something- honestly, I can't _believe _how rude he is- he told my mother that if she went and looked in a mirror she would see a cow, and that was only two weeks ago, and I got so angry, I actually said, 'At least she can _see _herself in the mirror, when's the last time you've seen your whole body in it?' and then I stormed out of the place, I can't believe I actually said that-"

"Okay, I feel your pain," Hestia said, cutting her off. If she didn't sooner or later, Lily would have had a temper tantrum right in the middle of the alley, and no one liked to be in the middle of one of her tantrums. Lily was really short-tempered, which explained all the times she had hexed Potter without hesitation. "At least you got away in time! Relax, how about you and me give him something to remember this winter vacation?" Lily's irritated expression immediately brightened- she had the _best _best friend in the world.

"You would?" she asked.

"Obviously, you know I'm really fond of your mother, I want to get him back for that," Hestia winked and Lily smiled.

"Hestia!"

They turned to see Alice walk out of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor with a Blueberry Almond ice cream cone clutched in her hand- it was one of her favorite flavors.

"Alice!" Hestia exclaimed, reaching forward to hug her but stopped midway, seeing the ice-cream cone in her hand.

"Yeah, bad idea," Alice said, looking at her ice cream.

"How was your summer?" Hestia asked.

"Not bad," Alice shrugged, licking her ice cream. "Mmm…."she sighed as the sweet taste of Blueberry Almond soothed her burning insides- it was the hottest day of the year.

"Hello! Earth to Alice!" Lily said, waving her arms in front of Alice's face. Alice snapped out of her reverie and looked up at Lily. "Look, we haven't got long before we meet Martha back at the Leaky, so you can enjoy your ice-cream later, we got stuff to do!"

"Right," Alice said sadly, lowering her arm from her face.

"Buying books?" Hestia asked. "Me too- have you _seen _how many we've got this year? Bloody lots,"

"I know," Lily groaned. Even though she was a bookworm, too much studying always seemed to get to her.

"Oh, damn, I'm broke- Gringott's, anyone?" Alice asked, managing to open her money bag with one hand (the other was still holding the ice-cream).

"No, I'm full up," Lily said, checking her own handbag.

"I'll come; I need to get something out of my vault…" Hestia's voice trailed off.

"What?" Alice asked curiously.

"No, I'm not telling you," Hestia blushed.

"Right," Alice shrugged. It was probably some super-stupid solid gold makeup box- you could never trust fashion crazy Hestia with these things.

"Okay, I've got to get new robes…see you at Flourish and Blott's in an hour?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, okay," Alice said.

"Bye, Lily-Petal," Hestia said, before turning on her heel and trotting up the stone pavement (she was wearing heels), dragging Alice behind her. Seriously, going that fast just to get her hands on her precious makeup box?

Suddenly, Lily acknowledged the fact that she was alone in a place surrounded by unfamiliar wizards. She couldn't feel more scared, even though she had her wand with her. What if she was ambushed?

_You won't be ambushed if you get the hell out of here, _she thought determinedly. _And come on, your Lily Evans. _The _Lily Evans- smartest girl at Hogwarts. Who would be dumb enough to attack you?_

Having this new, comforting thought in mind, Lily made her way up the alley, coming to a halt in front of the door to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. She opened the door, and despite the feeling of fear she had before, her first thought was to get out of there and go back down the pavement again.

For there they were- the two of her least favorite people in the world, Sirius Black and James Potter.

She was standing in the doorway, her arm out holding the door steady and was in shock- why, she didn't know. Since when was she shocked seeing Black and Potter in a shop along Diagon Alley?

Sirius and James had their backs to her, and didn't even notice the creak that issued when she opened the door. They were talking animatedly, Sirius apparently teasing James and James trying to think of witty comebacks.

"Who knew- li'l ol' Pwongsie-Wongsie got Head Boy!" Sirius said in a very provoking way, arms around James' shoulders and looking at him as if he was his three-year-old son who had just won the Quidditch Championship.

"Yeah, better watch out, Pads, now I can get you in detention without getting in it myself," James winked, and Sirius groaned.

"I'll miss doing that,"

Lily was standing near the door with her eyes widened in shock.

Potter. _The _infamous James Potter. Prankster. Rule-breaker. _Potter, _who didn't have even a single ounce of decency in the world…_Head Boy?_

"Potter! _You're _Head Boy?" Lily spoke her thoughts aloud. Sirius and James turned around simultaneously; Sirius' face immediately breaking into a wide grin once he saw her and James running his hand automatically through his hair. Lily rolled her eyes- He always did that around her.

"LI'L OLD LIL!" Sirius shouted, running forward and throwing his arms around her. Lily pushed him off angrily.

"Get off me!" she said furiously, and then blushed. "And do _not _call me that!"

"Don't want to make Prongs jealous, huh?" Sirius winked, and Lily and James flushed.

"And how on _Earth _did you become Head Boy?" Lily asked James, changing the subject. "Was Dumbledore drunk when he did that? Yeah, could be…But wait… I've never seen Dumbledore drinking before-"Lily shut her mouth instantly when she saw James' raised eyebrows, and turned pink. Why on _Earth _did she have to ramble in front of him?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow _down, _Flower," Sirius said, waving his arms in front of him. "No need to remind Prongs here how much you love him," and immediately receiving a whack to the head by a flushing James. Lily half-raised her arm to slap him as well, but decided against it. Honestly, it was as if Black lived only to embarrass people.

"Why are you bothered, anyway?"James asked her, still flushing, trying to rid the atmosphere from awkwardness. Before Lily had a chance to reply, however, Sirius butted in (how could he not?).

"Isn't it obvious? Lily-Petal here is Head Girl, and is having second thoughts about sharing a dorm with you. Am I right, Lily-Petal?" Sirius asked.

A thousand things shot through Lily's mind at the same time. She wanted to slap Sirius (when did she never?) for saying it so bluntly and causing her more embarrassment. She wanted to slap James as well for becoming Head Boy and ruining her seventh year entirely. Obviously, it wasn't his fault, but she wanted to smack him anyway. And for the first time since she found out she was Head Girl, she wanted to slap herself. If she wasn't such a Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes, she wouldn't have become Head Girl, and her year would have been pleasant, hanging out with Hestia and Alice and having fun. And lastly, she wanted to go and slap Dumbledore for making her Head Girl in the first place- it was going to ruin her life.

She turned red in the face and before she got to do any of those things, James had already cut her across.

"You're Head Girl? I have to share a dorm with you?" he tried to sound casual, but failed to conceal the hopefulness in his eyes.

Lily sighed. She would have to put up with this for a year? She might as well just use the _Avada Kedavra _on herself right now and end her miserable life.

Their embarrassing conversation was interrupted by Madam Malkin, who emerged from a door to their right holding a measuring tape.

"Mr. Black? I'm ready for you now, please climb onto that footstool over there," she said, pointing to a spot in the way corner. As Sirius sulked all the way over to the stool, Madam Malkin turned to face Lily and James. "You two," she said to them, "Over there," she pointed at the few chairs lined up beside the door. "Wait for your turn."

Lily walked over and sat, arms and legs crossed, on the chair right beside the door. James approached and sat down next to her.

"Bugger off, Potter," Lily said in a threatening voice. James didn't budge.

"Look, Lily-"

"It's Evans to you,"

"Fine," he sighed. "Look, Evans, we're going to have to work together this year right? I mean, Head Girl and Boy and all…"

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. Duh. What sort of an obvious question is that?

"And?"

"And it's going to be hard if you keep yelling at me and I keep yelling at you and everything- I don't think that would get good results," he shuddered slightly, and Lily knew that he was thinking of all those times where he had asked her out, and she had said no, and had led to shouting and hexing and one of them (mostly James) had ended up in the hospital wing.

"Glad you realized that,"

"So I think it's safe to say you're not going to get any insults or comments or whatever it is from me this year… I think it's better for Hogwarts if we at least stay on talking terms. Trust me, I've been thinking it through, and with great regret," he paused, and Lily fought a smile. _Great regret_, huh? James gained some confidence on seeing her expression and finished," I promise I won't bother you if you promise not to yell at me,"

Really? Not getting bothered by James for a whole year? It was her dream come true, but she didn't know whether that would resolve things between them. After all, he had pestered her for six years of her life- she wasn't ready to forget that just yet.

"I'm not going to forgive you, if that's what you want," Lily said. Maybe this was all a trick- to gain her trust, make her see the imaginary bright side of him, and then manipulate her, play with her mind, until she _finally _said yes? Yes, that could be his objective.

"Look, Lily, I know you think I'm feigning to get you to see my bright side, but trust me, that's not what I'm doing," he said, raising his eyebrows, and Lily was surprised. Did her doubt show on her face? Or could he read minds? But looking at his wide eyes, which seemed to beg her to believe him, she finally saw the truth in them. She had never seen that part of his eyes (not that she looked at his eyes a lot) which had a sort of power which you couldn't help but confide in. To trust. The sort of power that made her mind wander for a second. Maybe there was a slight chance they could be friends? _No way, _said a loud voice in her head. _Never in a million years!_

"Okay," she said finally, but with caution, in case James was looking for a catch. "But I never said anything about not teasing you! And I'm only going to talk to you during rounds. No other time. Got it?" Lily was sure she hadn't left anything out, and expected James to adopt a sad expression, because of the fact that she had said that she wouldn't stop teasing him and would never talk to him except when they had to work together. But to her surprise, James let out a laugh. Not his usual laugh, which had a hint of malice and ignorance in it, but a laugh Lily had never heard before- it was so like her own, full of kindness and comfort.

"Yeah, I think I can live with that," he smiled, and Lily's stomach flipped over. Since when did his laughing do that to her?

"MR. POTTER!" came Madam Malkin's voice from the other side of the room and Lily and James jumped. "Your turn,"

Without even a backward glance at Lily, James made his way to the other side of the room. Lily was thankful for this- James' presence was starting to make her feel a bit squeamish. The feeling of relief lasted only for a few seconds, though, as his spot was immediately replaced by Sirius Black.

Lily groaned. Honestly, Sirius Black was even worse than James Potter.

"Something in my presence that's bothering you, Evans?" Sirius raised his eyebrows at her.

"Obviously," Lily rolled her eyes and Sirius smirked.

"Is it my glorious hair?" he questioned, pretending to look flattered. "My undeniably sexy figure? My-"

"Yuck! No! Get _lost_, Black!" Lily spluttered, flushing.

"Come on, Flower, you _know _it's true," Sirius said, folding his arms behind his back.

"You wish," she said, rolling her eyes.

Sirius winked at her. "Right, don't want to get Prongs angry, do we? I mean, come on, we _both _know what sort of a hothead he is,"

Lily just rolled her eyes at him again. Seriously, she couldn't _wait _until she graduated Hogwarts and would be free from the nuisance that was Sirius Black and James Potter.

"And, pray tell, what were you two talking about? That's probably the first time you've gone that long without yelling at him," Sirius asked.

"None of your business, Black," Lily said haughtily.

"Right, you can keep your 'private talk' to yourselves," he said, emphasizing 'private talk' with his fingers. One look at Lily told him to shut up- she looked like she was going to murder him.

"Hey, watch this," he said, changing the subject hastily and pulling his wand out of his pocket.

"'What are you doing?" Lily asked, slightly alarmed- you could never trust the Marauders.

"Trust me- you're going to love it," he said, smiling slyly. Lily, however, was not reassured.

Before she got the chance to say anything, however, Sirius had already pointed his wand at the spools of thread lying beside the footstool where James was standing (Madam Malkin was now measuring him across the waist). He wordlessly transfigured the spools into eggs- _Where is he going with this? _thought Lily. Using a levitating charm, Sirius made the eggs hover above James' head, so skillfully, that neither he nor Madam Malkin noticed anything, and then grinned mischievously at Lily, who groaned.

_Don't tell me he's going to- _SPLAT.

The eggs splattered all over James' head and Madam Malkin's arms. James let out a yell as his arms flew up to his hair in a flash, and Lily and Sirius roared with laughter.

"NOT-FUNNY!" James yelled furiously, trying to rid his prized, and now ruined, hair, from the slimy eggs that had now trickled all down his shirt, Madam Malkin (who had dropped her measuring tape on James' foot, which made him yell even louder), however, had her arms held out in front of her as if they were contagious and did not react even a bit, except for going red in the face with anger.

"MR. BLACK!" she screeched.

"Please, darling, call me Sirius," Sirius said, batting his eyelashes at her, causing Lily to laugh even harder.

"OUT! OUT OF HERE, I SAY-"Madam Malkin shouted, taking her wand out and immediately cleaning up the mess Sirius had made. Lily saw James' hand fly up to his hair and him letting out a sigh of relief as he realized that the eggs had vanished, making Lily let out another squeal of laughter.

"You don't want me to leave, dear!" he gasped dramatically, but then fell silent as he saw Madam Malkin, with her wand drawn out, walking towards him with a fiery expression in her eyes. Sirius got up and started backing away from her towards the door, alarmed. With every step she took forwards, he took one backwards.

"Now, now, darling, you don't want to do anything rash…" he said, voice shaking. But with one swishing movement of her wand, the hair on Sirius' head suddenly disappeared. He didn't seem to understand what had happened, but when he saw the laughing figures of Lily and James, he cautiously touched his head and then let out a yell. His yell, which was louder than James' and more like a girl's shriek, seemed to make everyone's eardrums vibrate. Eyes widened, he groped around his bald head for any sign of his beautiful hair.

"WHAT-HAVE-YOU-DONE-" Sirius screamed, taking a pause after every word, and scowled as his spectators laughed so hard that it seemed that the roof was going to cave in on them.

"Did you… _see _his _face?_" Lily choked through her laughter.

"Hi-hi-hilarious!" James managed to say, rolling on the floor, clutching his sides.

"Want some more, _Mr. Black?_" Madam Malkin smirked. "Maybe your eyebrows this time?"

"MY GLORIOUS HAIR!" Sirius whined. "My _wonderful, _absolutely _gorgeous _cap of awesomeness! _WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH IT?" _he yelled in a demanding voice.

"I'm so sorry, I seem to have forgotten it in Dervish and Banges…" Madam Malkin said tapping her chin in thoughtfulness. "Maybe you should go get it?" she smirked.

"D-Dervish and Banges?" Sirius asked in horror. "That's on the other side of the alley! You-you want me to walk all the way there… _BALD?_"

"Sooner or later, dear," Madam Malkin said absentmindedly, playing with her thumbs. Sirius just gaped at her.

"B-But Dervish! He _loves _me! What'll he say if-if I walk into his shop…" he shuddered. "BALD?"

"That's your problem, dear," Madam Malkin replied. Sirius turned to Lily, a pleading expression on his face.

"Lily-Flower, you _have _to help me!" he said, getting down on his knees and looking up at her.

"No, I don't think you deserve it," she said, still grinning from all the laughing. Honestly, she didn't think she had laughed this much in her entire life. The wonders that harmless pranks could cause- starting from dropping eggs on a person's head to ending up bald. Suddenly, she was more conscious than ever that Sirius Black, the most handsome guy at Hogwarts, was bald, and a fresh roar of laughter erupted from her mouth. Sirius scowled at her and turned to look at James.

"Prongs, mate, our friendship is too precious, surely you _must _take pity on me for getting baldified," Sirius said, pointing at his head. At the mention of Sirius' new-found word, James laughed harder than ever. Seriously, he was so _bad _at this!

"In case you've forgotten, Pads," he grinned. "I still need to get you back for doing that to my hair," he pointed at his head. "So I think you should expect something else when you get back," he winked. Sirius looked at him, flabbergasted.

"Fine," he huffed, standing up with his chin in the air. "Fine," he said again, brushing dirt off his clothes with his hands. "I'll show you- people'll still _love _bald Sirius," and the others laughed at him.

"Challenge accepted," James held his hand out.

"You're on," Sirius narrowed his eyes at him and shook his hand. "Name your stakes,"

"Twenty Galleons,"

"Deal,"

Sirius strode towards the doorway, chest puffed out and head held high, and James sprinted towards the window (which was right behind Lily), Madam Malkin at his heels.

"I _so _want to see this," he sniggered.

"Yeah, that's what I said when he was about to drop those eggs on your head, Potter," Lily gave him a sly grin and James' smile faltered.

"Yeah, I must've looked stupid," he reasoned, running his hand through his hair, and trying to hide the disappointment that Lily had called him 'Potter' even after he had had this talk with her earlier.

"You did, dear," Madam Malkin grinned from behind him. Evidently, she had forgotten about their robes, like everyone else, in the room, and leaned in to watch the show. James glared at her and Lily giggled.

"Ssh… look, there's Marlene Andersen," Lily hushed them and they all turned to look.

Marlene Andersen was a Ravenclaw fifth year who had always fancied Sirius, as Sirius very well knew (it was hard not to notice people gawk at you) and was walking up the alley, looking down at her booklist and ticking things off. As Lily, James, and Madam Malkin watched, they saw Sirius adopt a determined look as he seized his chance.

"My dear," he sang, approaching her from behind and she stopped in her tracks. Lily could imagine the look on her face.

Marlene just stood there, unable to believe that that voice had just called her 'my dear'.

"Yeah you, beautiful," Sirius said in his lost charming tone, leaning against the glass window of Eeylop's Owl Emporium, which was directly opposite Madam Malkin's. Marlene turned around and adopted a blank expression once she saw him. Sirius just continued to give her his winning smile, but was taken aback as she turned white and started to run in the opposite direction, screaming. He turned to look back at Lily, James, and Madam Malkin, who were all rolling around on the floor, laughing.

"I believe you owe me twenty Galleons,:" James said, as Sirius walked through the door and sat down with a huff. James held his arm out, but Sirius just crossed his arms and pouted at him in a very babyish way.

"I want my hair back!" he whined.

"And I want my Galleons!" James mimicked.

"Buth Damsie! You wouldn't take money fwum a widdle ode baby!" Sirius moaned. "I'm tho widdle and hewpwess,"

"You want a toy, baby Sirius?" James played along and Sirius nodded. "Well, Cousin Annie always liked to play with worms…I suppose we could get you some…" his voice trailed off and Sirius' eyes widened. He hated worms. Slimy, rotten things, worms.

"Fine, here's your money," he said grumpily, stuffing some coins into James' hand.

"Much appreciated," James winked, and Sirius rolled his eyes. _Honestly, I should blackmail him with worms every time he does that, _James thought.

"All right, out of here, Mr. Black, I haven't got all day," Madam Malkin said, shooing her away with her hand. "I still have to measure Mr. Potter and Miss Evans!"

"But…my hair…" Sirius said sadly, clutching his head weakly. His tone was so full of depression that even Lily was touched by it, and she could tell Madam Malkin was, too. James, however, knew _exactly _what game he was playing, and was frowning at him.

"Fine," Madam Malkin sighed, whipping out her wand and materializing Sirius' hair again. " I think we've tortured you enough,"

Sirius was holding his hair in disbelief, pulling at it to make sure it was real. Once assured, he gave Madam Malkin his crazy grin. Knowing exactly what he was going to do (Probably throw himself into her arms and yell 'You shouldn't have!'), raised her wand.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!" _she shouted, and Sirius was instantly lifted off his feet. He went hurtling through the door, eyes shut tight, and landed with a thud on the pavement.

"_Colloportus," _Lily said, pointing at the door. Sirius was locked outside.

"Nice move," James said.

"Lemme in!" Sirius screamed, banging on the door with his fists. Seriously, he could easily have passed off as an angry three year old, if only he wasn't six feet tall.

"You _do _know what Dungbombs are, right, Mr. Black?" Madam Malkin asked from the window.

"Duh," James snorted. Honestly, how could he not?

"Right. So I think _maybe _landed in a pile… you can never trust Dervish for leaving Dungbombs lying around!" Madam Malkin winked. Sirius jumped and started to smell his hair. His face turned green and he bolted, no doubt going to wash out the smell right away.

"Now that we've _finally _gotten rid of that nuisance," Madam Malkin clapped her hands together. "Mr. Potter, where was I?"

James groaned and walked up to the footstool as Lily leaned back in her chair and relaxed.

* * *

"Ooh, look at this," Hestia said excitedly, pointing at a book. "Oh, and _this _one, and this one! Yeah, I want this one," she picked it up from the shelf, and Lily and Alice rolled their eyes.

They were at Flourish and Blott's, had finished buying their academic books and were now lounging around, picking up and reading interesting books. They were having a great time.

"Look at it!" Hestia thrust it into Lily's face, and Lily grabbed it from her. The cover of the book was bright red, and had floral patterns all over it.

"Um…Hest, all the pages are blank," Lily said slowly, flipping through the book.

"I know." Hestia said absentmindedly, and then realizing what she had said, blushed.

"You…write in _diaries, _Hestia?" Alice asked incredulously.

"Oh, leave her alone, _we_ didn't come here to buy diaries, did we, Alice? Let her do what she wants," Lily said.

"I didn't need that," Hestia huffed. "And by the way, I'm not going to be _writing _in it, this is the kind where you speak words to the page and it absorbs it and when you open it next time it speaks your word right out to you, it's wonderful-"

"Right," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Fine, well, now that we've got our books, I think it's time we should go- it's nearly lunchtime." Lily said, looking at her watch.

"I'm so hungry," Alice moaned, clutching her stomach which gave a loud grumble. Hestia mouthed 'thank you' to Lily, probably for managing to change the subject so quickly, who winked at her.

They started walking along the pavement to Florean Fortescue's when they saw James and Sirius with their backs to them, leaning over something and talking in whispers. Lily squirmed a bit- she hadn't told Hestia and Alice what had happened in Madam Malkin's.

"How did you manage to _do _that, Pads?"

"I have no idea, but now that we've got it, should we take it ourselves or should we give it to Avery or someone?"

"Well, we've got about ten seconds to decide."

"_What _do you think you're doing?" Lily demanded, walking up to them. Sirius and James turned around and paled when they saw her. They seemed to notice Alice and Hestia behind her as well, standing with their hands on their hips with their eyes narrowed, and paled a bit more. No doubt they thought they would upset their plans. Lily walked around them to try and get a good look at what they were leaning over.

"A toothbrush?" she said blankly, once she saw what it was.

_How are we going to get out of this? _James thought, and squirmed slightly. Lily noticed this, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Had they jinxed it? They had to have done something to it, if they had considered giving it to Avery. But then… she remembered what Sirius had said…_Now that we've got it, do you think we should take it ourselves…_if they had wanted to take it themselves, they wouldn't have done anything bad to it. Without thinking, Lily picked up the toothbrush. She got one last look at Sirius, who had his eyes widened and his arms held out as if to say 'Don't!' before she was sucked into nothingness.

* * *

**So that was the second chapter- I'm sorry, but I like building my stories up slowly so this story is going to have a lot of chapters in it! (Like I said, I'm a slow writer)**


	3. Depression

**Thanks for reading! This is my third chapter... it's sort of depressing (obviously!) ... but I hope you like it anyway. ****_Please, please, please _****review! **

* * *

Lily collapsed on the ground, for the third time that morning, and the toothbrush rolled along the dirty stone pavement and stopped a few feet in front of her. Was she still in Diagon Alley? No, that pavement was far too clean compared to the one she was lying on at the moment. She scrambled to her feet and looked around her. She _was_ in an Alley, except not Diagon Alley. The place had a sense of eeriness around it, none of the cheerfulness that Diagon Alley had. Her stomach dropped a bit more each time she saw the objects surrounding her. A garbage can full of skulls. Dirty old hags selling something that looked strangely like teeth. Shops covered in thick layers of cobwebs and bats. A battered old sign, which, according to her, was covered in what looked like dried blood, reading 'Knockturn Alley'. _Knockturn Alley._

Gits. They had set up an unauthorized Portkey to Knockturn Alley. _I've Always wanted to go to Knockturn Alley…_Lily felt her head boil up in anger as she remembered what Potter had said only a few months previously. Obviously. A toothbrush. How could she have been so stupid? Professor Flitwick's words rang in her ears…'Portkeys are usually random objects. Unnoticable. Mostly rubbish.' She clapped a hand to her forehead. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _I am such an idiot._ She thought angrily. _And I'm going to kill them when I get back. _Her stomach dropped. How was she going to get back? She had no idea where she was. And people were starting to stare at her. She looked to her right- a shop called 'Borgin and Burke's'. Her left- A restaurant in which a waiter was serving…wasps? Yuck. She looked ahead and almost banged into a hook-nosed, greasy-haired someone.

"_Severus?"_ she asked incredulously.

"Lily?" he looked up at her and turned white when he saw her. He wasn't paying attention to the road while walking, something his father had always told him to do, and now, even though he wasn't in any immediate danger, he felt afraid. He should have listened to his father. And now he was standing in front of someone he had least expected and had hoped he would never have to explain himself to. Lily's surprised expression had changed to one of ferocity, and Severus was practically shivering in fright. He knew she was remembering that time in their third year…

_"Why would I go to Knockturn Alley? It's full of- well… disgusting stuff," he said, wrinkling his nose._

_ "You better not," Lily warned. _

_"I won't," he assured. _

_"You promise?" she asked, giving him her wide, worried-looking eyes which melted his heart._

_"Yeah,"_

Even though they weren't friends anymore, he still felt like he had committed a serious crime. How would he explain himself to her? And what was he going to say?

"Severus-what-you-"she spluttered. "_What_ are you doing here? You-you promised-"she trailed off, and then adopted a furious expression. "But of course- I'm a mudblood. Who's going to listen to a _mudblood, _right?"

"Lily, I-"

"I thought you at least had the decency to keep a promise you made- even- even if it was to a mudblood. I-I thought you felt sorry for me- that-that our f-friendship was strong e-enough and that y-you would try-" she choked as she tried to control her tears. Severus' expression softened considerably- he couldn't bear to see her cry.

"Lily, I'm sorry!"

"_No!" _she screamed, and people along the road turned to look at her, but she didn't care. "STOP SAYING YOU'RE SORRY! YOU'RE ALWAYS SORRY, BUT I KNOW IT DOESN'T _MEAN _ANYTHING TO YOU- AND NOT TO ME, EITHER! IT'S JUST ANOTHER _WORD, _SEVERUS!"

"Well, I don't know what else to say!"

"THEN JUST DON'T _SAY _ANYTHING!"Lily was openly weeping now, and Severus was fighting the urge to go and give her a comforting hug. "JUST GET OUT! GET AWAY FROM ME! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! JUST-JUST- GO-"Lily was trying to scream out all the bitter thoughts she ever had at the same time. Severus flinched at every insult she threw at him until he finally lost control.

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO!" he yelled back. Lily stopped crying for a second as she was taken aback. "YOU'RE EVERYTHING TO ME, LILY!"

"SO WERE YOU, UNTIL YOU-"

"I TOLD YOU, IT WAS AN _ACCIDENT!_ I DIDN'T MEAN TO-"

"BUT YOU DID! YOU DID- AGAIN AND AGAIN-"

"I SAID I WAS SORRY- HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT?"

"I NEVER WANTED YOU TO SAY IT!" she shrieked, and took deep, angry breaths. Severus was panting as well, and for a second, neither of them could say anything.

"Lily?"

Lily turned around and saw James standing behind her, eyes widened in worry. The first thing she thought of was to go and slap him for putting her through all this. She wanted to unleash all her anger on him, that annoying git, but then she chanced a glance at Severus. He was just looking at her, with a mingled expression of surprise and anger on his face. Suddenly, a light bulb clicked on in her head. What had she got to lose?

"_James!"_ she squealed, and threw herself in his arms. James was knocked backwards due to the force and was overcome by surprise._ What the hell? _He thought. Did Lily actually…? But then he saw Snape, and realized at once what game she was playing. She was so blinded by anger that she would have done anything to get back at him. She was trying to make him jealous! James grinned and decided to play along. How could it hurt? If anything, he was glad he actually got the chance to do this.

"Lilykins!" he exclaimed, hugging her back. Lily's jaw clenched- she hated that nickname, but thought it was worth it if she was going to give Snape some payback. She looked up at James, checking if he thought she was being serious. He winked at her, and she smiled. So he knew she was faking.

Lily turned to look at Snape, whose face had morphed into one of anger and ferocity.

"You-you ungrateful-little-" Lily raised her eyebrows at him. "How can you say- after you- YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE TOO!"

_"Totally _different situation!" she retorted.

"HOW COULD YOU!"

"YOU BETRAYED _ME!_"

"DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!"

"LIKE IT'S ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"YOU'RE SUCH A-"

_"ENOUGH!"_ James yelled. Lily and Snape turned to look at him. James seemed to realize what he had said and grinned sheepishly. Honestly, he was getting sick of the two of them yelling at each other. Obviously, he hated Snape, and wanted to yell at him as well for hurting Lily, but he thought it wasn't worth it. Lily would probably yell at him again after that. He expected Lily to tell him to shut up and let her yell at Snape a little more, but to his surprise, Lily sighed. She turned to give one last look of loathing at Snape before she grabbed James' arm and forcefully pulled him across the alley.

James turned to look back towards Snape with a smug expression on his face. Snape looked both flabbergasted and furious with himself. How could he lose Lily _twice? _

"You are to tell _no one _what I just did. Got it?" Lily said, once they were out of sight and out of earshot. "And what's so funny?" she narrowed her eyes as she saw James' smug expression.

"Nothing," he said as his grin faltered. He had enjoyed those few moments with Lily back there. When would he ever get to do that?

"DAMN RIGHT IT WAS NOTHING!" she yelled, and James jumped. He had forgotten what a bad temper she was in. Whenever Lily had one of her temper tantrums, she would yell at any random person for any random reason.

"Look, whatever happened back there doesn't exist. I got it, okay?" James said carefully. He didn't want to trigger her anger again.

"Right. No one will be informed about it. Ever. It is confidential." James laughed at her choice of words.

"Yeah," he said, and noticed Lily's narrowed eyes. She didn't trust him.

"Look, why would I tell anyone? This is between you and me. And remember- I promised not to bother you," he smiled, and Lily smiled back, after which the horror of the situation hit her. She was befriending James Potter, whom she had sworn to hate her entire life. She was only supposed to talk to him during rounds. No other time. Then why was she?

"How do we get out?" she asked, ignoring that horrendous feeling inside her stomach. "Wait…how did you get here in the first place? Knockturn Alley is supposed to be closed off from Diagon Alley…and you can't apparate yet."

"Do you keep track of my birthday, Evans?" he asked her, eyebrows raised, and she blushed.

"No," she said. "I just- um, guessed," it was true. She _had _guessed. But then why was she blushing? James, sensing her embarrassment, decided not to pursue the subject.

"Yeah, I know it's blocked off, but then I found this old cauldron behind Ollivander's. Apparently, it's linked to one here- I just jumped in and came out from the other one."

"You-you actually did all that to come and find me?" she asked.

"Yeah, since it was our fault you came here in the first place," he shrugged. Earlier, Lily would have slapped him for setting up an unauthorized Portkey, but something in his face restricted her.

"In here," James said suddenly, leading her through a small alleyway beside a revolting-looking antique shop. They walked all the way up to the end of it, where a lot of rubbish was littered. She could just make out a moldy, old, degrading, smelly, rusty (there were just so many adjectives for it!) cauldron lying in the corner.

"That one?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Yeah," he said.

"Yuck. That's disgusting!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, it won't be if you close your eyes and dive. Trust me- it helps," Lily nodded.

"So…after you?" he asked, gesturing towards the cauldron. When Lily made a face, he shrugged, "Okay, after me," Lily giggled and James' spirits lifted- he had a feeling that this year would be the year. He was starting to have normal, civilized conversations with her already! How come he didn't have the sense to act like this before?

"Remember, close your eyes and dive," he said, and Lily nodded. Then he turned to face the cauldron and, eyes shut tight, dived headfirst into it, so smoothly that he didn't touch the rim at all. Lily closed her eyes, as she was told, and jumped into the cauldron after him. Almost at once she was gently floating in the air, suspended by nothing, as if she was floating on water. Five- ten- twenty seconds passed and nothing happened. Feeling scared, Lily opened her eyes and saw James standing in front of her, an amused expression on his face. She wasn't floating, like she had thought, but she was standing on solid ground in her very own Diagon Alley. They were in an alleyway, presumably behind Ollivander's which was heaven compared to the one she had just been in.

"Do you have any idea how long you've been standing there?" James asked, amused.

"Did I embarrass myself?" Lily asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry, there's no one here but me, so you didn't exactly embarrass yourself," James said, choosing his words carefully, and Lily smiled. "Okay, let's go, they're worried about you," he directed her out of the alleyway. Lily glanced at the walls, where there were a bunch of faded posters, and her eyes glued to one particular one, which looked as if it hadn't been there for more that twelve hours.

"Wait," she said, and grabbed James' arm. He turned around and saw her staring at a small poster plastered to the wall, and turned to look at it as well.

_WANTED: BELLATRIX LESTRANGE_

_FOR THE MURDERS OF RESPECTED AURORS PAUL AND SOPHIA POTTER_

_REWARD:_

_500 GALLEONS_

Lily turned to look at James, who had sunk to the floor, eyes widened in horror. She saw the tears well up in his eyes, and was debating what to do. She had never seen anything so pitiful- his wide eyes, his shivering hands, his face tempting to split into sobs. It was true- she hated him. But right now, he needed someone. She looked into his eyes and noticed how depressed he looked. It melted her heart and she got on to her knees, and put her hand on his shoulder. She thought he would jump to his feet right away, afraid of crying in front of her, but to her surprise, he didn't even flinch.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Your parents?"

"Aunt and-and- uncle," he said quietly. Those three words were too much for him, though, and he buried his face in his hands and Lily noticed his shoulders shook with what looked like sobs. She fidgeted a bit- what was she supposed to do? She had never thought of James as a person who would cry. And, by far, she had never expected herself to be alone with him when he did.

James sat up with a jerk and Lily jumped at the sudden movement. He stood up suddenly and ran his hands through his hair- this time in deep concentration with his eyes shut tight. Lily stood up as well and looked at him curiously. His eyes fluttered open.

_"EVIE!" _he yelled, before running in the opposite direction, completely ignoring Lily, acting as if she didn't exist. Lily ran after him, a confused look on her face. Evie? That was uncalled for. And who was she? What had happened to her that made James act like this?

James turned a corner, Lily at his heels.

BAM.

Lily stumbled backwards, and looked up to see Sirius Black standing in front of her.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, putting one hand behind her back and the other on her shoulder to make sure she didn't fall.

"Thanks," she said, and then turned pink as she saw that Sirius hadn't moved. She tried to stand up straight, but Sirius just held her tighter. He winked at her, and she blushed even harder.

"BLACK!" she screeched.

"Don't tell me you're not liking it," he grinned.

"Where is he?" Lily asked furiously, remembering the reason why she was running.

"Where's who? Don't tell me you're looking for Jamsie-Poo!" he taunted, wagging his eyebrows at her. "Hey, that rhymes!"

"Never mind! _Where is he?"_ she screamed. Sirius seemed to realize this wasn't a joke, and cowered.

"Um…I have no idea. Big Cry-baby went running off in that direction," he said, pointing behind him. "'_Wah! Auntie! Where are you? I miss you so much! Who's going to cuddle me at night? Wah! Uncle-'"_ Sirius mimicked, but then got cut off as Lily made to run around him, and had to block her path. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "Jones and Prewett are worried sick over you! You can't just run off again!"

_Run off? _Wasn't _he _the one who gave her the Portkey in the first place? Slowly, all the memories came back to Lily. The Portkey. Severus. That feeling of…_anger._

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" she yelled and Sirius jumped. "AN UNAUTHORIZED PORTKEY! YOU COULD HAVE-"

"Hey, we didn't ask you to pick it up, did we?" Sirius said cautiously. Alice and Hestia suddenly materialized out of nowhere, no doubt drawn by the yelling.

"Lily!" they exclaimed in unison. Lily ignored them.

"KNOCKTURN ALLEY! YOU HAVE NO IDEA-NO IDEA-" she choked as she remembered what had happened with Severus. Not wanting to show her tears, she flew past Sirius and ran into Florean Fortescue's.

"Weird. That makes two crying people running past me today," he said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Two?" Alice asked, confused.

"Flower and Prongs,"

"_POTTER?" _Alice asked incredulously, and then burst out laughing.

"Hey, don't tease him about it, okay? It looked serious," Sirius said warningly, and then grinned.

"No more 'Serious' jokes, please!" Hestia groaned. Sirius winked at her.

"Like it or not, Jones,"

* * *

Lily burst through the door to Florean Fortescue's, tears streaming down her face. The first person she saw was Martha, who was looking at her with wide, kind eyes.

"Lily, dear-"

"I'm s-sorry- I'm s-so sorry," Lily stammered, before wrenching open the door to her left, and actually knocking Florean Fortescue to the floor in her desperation.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"Sorry, Florean," Martha said hurriedly, darting in after Lily. "She's just depressed!"

"No problem," he spluttered.

Martha pushed open the door and found herself in Florean's kitchen. She caught once last glimpse of Lily, who was standing in front of the fireplace with a box of Floo powder clutched in her hand.

"LILY!"

But it was too late. Lily had already disappeared through the emerald-green fire.

* * *

Lily was at home. In her room. On her bed. Crying. All afternoon.

She had gotten a letter from Martha about an hour ago.

_Lily,_

_I hope you're feeling better, dear. No matter. I will not pursue the subject._

_Although, due to the highly depressed state you were in, I expect you not to return to our house any time soon- you might want the solitude of your own room. I'll send you your luggage as soon as possible. Be sure to expect it in about an hour or so._

_Please do not apologize, dear. I'm glad to do anything if it means helping you. I must tell you that I will not accept an apology letter, as I know that whatever happened was entirely not your fault. I trust you completely and I know that whatever you did was the right thing._

_Let me know if you need anything,_

_Signed,_

_Martha Prewett._

She had gotten her luggage about a half hour previously.

But she didn't care very much.

How could she? She was depressed. Crying.

She wished someone would comfort her. But then again, when someone _did _come close enough, she wished she could go somewhere she could be alone.

Why? Why did Severus have to say those things to her? _Mudblood_… the word rang in her ears for the thousandth time. He was her friend. She had _trusted _him. And he had betrayed her. It was so lonely in the summer vacations without him to keep her company.

And James. She didn't know why, but she kept on thinking about him on and off all afternoon. His face loomed out in front of her eyes- tear-stained, sobbing. He had lost his aunt and uncle. And all she had said was 'sorry' and 'are they your parents'. She hated herself for that. She should have said something more. He was so sad- she could still see his bloodshot, astonishingly hazel eyes shining with tears…he looked more handsome than ever when he was crying. Just thinking of him made her weep even more. She had never felt such sadness in her entire life- except the time when Severus had called her a mudblood. And for what seemed like the umpteenth time, that familiar sense of depression engulfed her stomach as she buried her face in her arms and cried.

* * *

**It took me a reeeaaaally long time to write this chapter, but I hope it was worth it. I'll get the next one updated as fast as possible- don't stop reading! :)**


	4. Evie

**Okay, before you read, I'm telling you that you might think this chapter is a bit pointless, but it's _reaaaally _necessary for the story. So it might not be as good as you probably expected it to be, but I really hope you like it anyway :)**

* * *

James threw open the marvelously encrusted door of the Potter Mansion, and stood in the doorway with the gentle breeze whistling past his ear. The brightness of the hot afternoon sun blinded his eyesight, but that didn't do much difference to his already tear-obstructed eyes. He blinked, so as to wash out the tears and to be able to see more clearly, and slammed the door behind him. He found himself in a gigantic hallway, the sunlight spilling in from numerous windows lining the walls and the warm stone floor making sharp sounds beneath his feet.

"MUM!" he yelled, trying not to cry right there on the doorstep. "MUM!"

"What did you and Sirius do this time?" Caroline Potter came rushing down the staircase at the far end of the hall, and took her first steps on the plush carpet lining the floor. "Honestly, that hose incident yesterday nearly made your father fall off his-"she broke off as she saw James' tear-stained face. "James?"

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME- HOW- WHEN-"James spluttered through his tears. Caroline didn't seem to realize what he was talking about, but it hit her as soon as he saw his weeping figure. James rarely ever cried. Slowly, tears started to well up in her eyes as well.

"I- um- last night," she mumbled. James' face went red with anger.

"AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO TELL ME-" Caroline jumped. James had never lost control like this before.

"Look, I-"

"James?" came a smaller voice from the other end of the room. James and Caroline turned to look.

"Evie," he sighed with relief. "I thought something had happened to you," Evie, James' seven-year-old cousin, was standing in the doorway in her favorite light-pink pajamas, clutching her purple stuffed unicorn, Toto. Her soft brown hair curled all the way till her shoulders and her large brown eyes looked at him with worry.

"Why would anything happen to me? I- James, are you _crying?"_ she asked, her voice dripping in heavy worry.

"Evie, haven't you heard- your parents-" he choked, but one look at her mother told him not to say anything more.

"I didn't know you would miss them so much!" Evie exclaimed, squeezing Toto even tighter. James looked at her incredulously. He had expected her to burst out crying- didn't she care for her parents at all?

"But-"

"Well, I miss them too, but I'm sure they'll be back from Europe soon," Evie said. James looked at his mother in anger. She had _lied _to her? Fresh tears welled up in his eyes. Evie had no idea.

"No, James, don't cry!" she said, rushing forwards to hug him. "Auntie Carrie told me they'll be back in no time- you'll see!" James looked down at her face- so full of laughter and happiness. She deserved to know the truth, but did he really want to ruin it for her?

"James, Evie's going to be living with us for a while. Last night, um… her parents went to an uh…_meeting _and they-they told me to t-tell her that they would-would have to go to E-Europe on a m-mission-" Caroline stammered. James looked at her and knew he had to do something before his mother would cry in front of Evie. He looked into his mother's eyes and realized that what she had told Evie was for her own good.

"Yeah, you get to live with us now! We'll have lots of fun!" he exclaimed, wiping his eyes.

"You bet!" Evie smiled. "Hey, I can't wait to show you my new magic powers- Toto can change colors now, look!" she shut her eyes and squeezed Toto tight. Slowly, his bright violet color morphed into a vibrant shade of green.

"Wow, Evie, that really is impressive!" he grinned.

"James, um… Evie has been waiting for you all morning because she needs someone to play chess with her. Why don't you…?" Caroline trailed off.

"Yeah, let's go play wizards chess! You _know _I'll win!" Evie exclaimed, darting up the staircase and no doubt vanishing into her room. James couldn't help but smile. She was just so innocent!

* * *

He spent the next hour playing wizard's chess with Evie. It was probably the most fun he had ever had. All thought of death was forgotten as Evie and James chatted animatedly- mostly about Hogwarts. Evie couldn't wait to go to school, just like all other wizarding children. They had played six games of chess and Evie had won all six times. But James didn't care- even though she was nearly ten years younger to him, he felt she was as old as he was. He could tell anything to her.

"So what…you've been in love with her for like six years?" Evie asked, moving her black rook ahead a few spaces. They were talking about Lily. James didn't think he could go on much longer without talking about her. He decided to leave Sirius out of the question. Sirius would just say, "Just wing it, mate,". He didn't think that would help him much.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Don't worry too much, James, I'm sure she'll come round," Evie encouraged. After moving her bishop right a couple of spaces, she yelled out in triumph. "Checkmate! I win!" James groaned.

"Another game?"

"You'll just lose again," Evie smirked.

Their conversation was interrupted as the bright pink door shot open with a bang. They turned to look and caught a momentary glimpse of Sirius with his arms spread and his chin in the air. Unfortunately, the door was thrown open with such force that it rebounded off the wall and hit him full in the face.

"Ow!" came a muffled noise from just outside the room. A few seconds later, the door was pushed open, this time extremely gently, and Sirius emerged, one hand over his nose and the other on the door. He scowled at James and Evie, who were practically rolling on the floor, laughing.

"So much for a dramatic entrance," Remus snorted, coming in from behind Sirius.

"MOONY!"

"REMUS!"

"Hey, James. Hey, Evie," he waved.

"You don't have to be so polite, Moony- Evie here wouldn't care even if you came in juggling on a unicycle and just grunted when she said hello," James rolled his eyes.

"He's right," Evie said.

"KIWI!" Sirius yelled, throwing himself into Evie's arms. Evie, small as she was, actually toppled off the chair.

"Sirius!" she gasped." "Please get off me,"

"Who's being polite now?" Remus asked, and Evie rolled her eyes.

"Hey mate, sorry we couldn't come sooner, but I had to pick up Moony on the way. Wormtail had some of his 'business'," he emphasized the word 'business' with his fingers. "to do. Oh well, who cares? At least now poor Care-Bear won't have to wash his socks,"

"Don't call my mom 'Care-Bear', Pads," James rolled his eyes, and then the memories of Knockturn Alley came back to him…

"Padfoot, that's mean, don't be so terrible to poor Peter," Remus said, and looked at James, who now had his eyes glazed with tears as he remembered the horrible incident that had occurred. Sirius seemed to have noticed this as well, but went for a different approach.

"Don't worry, mate, your mom told us everything, you don't have to explain yourself," he said, patting James shoulder, and immediately getting a whack to the head by Remus for his lack of tact. He looked at Remus with a 'why did you do that?' look, and Remus replied by giving him one which seemed to say, 'I think it's better if we change the subject'.

"So, what were you two talking about?" he asked, looking at Remus as if to ask, 'was that good enough?' to which Remus nodded.

"Let me guess…Lily?" he caught on, tapping his chin in faux thoughtfulness.

"How did you know?" Evie asked incredulously. "Wow! You're a psychic guy! I've always wanted to meet one! Could you teach me how to read minds?" she asked eagerly. Remus glanced at James' face, which had turned into his normal, cheery one, and smiled. It was working.

"No, I can't read minds, Evie," he sighed. "It's just that you should see how many times he talks about her- '_But _MOONY! _She said no! _Again! _What do I do, Moony? She'll hate me forever, Moony! There must be-'_" Remus mimicked, and immediately got a punch to the shoulder by James.

"He speaks the truth," Sirius said solemnly, and James rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right," he said, and his fellow Marauders raised their eyebrows. "Fine, maybe I do," he admitted. Sirius and Remus smirked and Evie giggled. "But listen! When I went to Knockturn Alley to…you know… heroically rescue her, I thought…well…that she seemed a bit _awkward _around me,"

Sirius muttered the words 'heroically rescue' under his breath but they were so inaudible that no one could hear them, and Remus decided to give James his amazing advice.

"Really?" he said, suddenly thoughtful. Sirius had filled him in and he knew exactly what had happened. More or less. "Was there any time when you…you know…"

"Yeah, umm…in Madam Malkin's- I asked her whether we could get along since we were the Heads and she said okay…"

"So that's what you were talking about!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yeah,"

"And ever since then, she's been-"

"Awkward, yeah," James finished Remus' sentence for him. Remus grinned at him.

"Mate, you did good," he smiled. "Keep up the nice guy act,"

"Yeah, then you'll get the girl and quit bothering us," Sirius said.

"You think it'll work?" James asked eagerly.

"Yes,"

"No,"

"I have no idea what you're talking about,"

"What? You _still _think she'll reject him after all that?" Remus asked Sirius incredulously, ignoring Evie.

"I still have no idea what you're talking about," Evie said impatiently.

"Of course! Come on, Moony, she's said no to him for the past six years," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Bet on it,"

"Thirty Galleons,"

"You'll lose,"

"Yeah, right,"

"AARGH!"

They all turned to look at Evie, who had yelled out in frustration.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" she asked. "And what do you mean, you talked to her in Madam Malkin's?" she asked, turning to James.

"Well, I'm Head Boy and she's Head Girl, so-"

"OH MY GOSH! You're Head Boy? And you didn't even tell me!" Evie shrieked, throwing herself into James' arms.

"I didn't believe it either,"

"Ditto,"

"Go to hell,"

"I see you're playing chess," Remus said, noticing the chessboard.

"Pray tell, sweetie, how many times did you beat Jamsie-Darling?" Sirius asked Evie.

"Six games, six wins," she smirked.

"Hey, it's okay, James, you'll do better next time. Come on, she's only beaten you like four hundred thirty seven times till now," Remus shook his head, patting James' back.

"You actually keep track?" James groaned.

"Why would I not?" Remus smirked.

"Yeah, well, I'd like to see Mr. I'm-So-Smart here try it," James challenged.

"Fine,"

"Ten Galleons,"

"Deal,"

"What's with all the betting?" Evie asked.

"They're called Marauder bets, sweetheart, you wouldn't understand," Sirius sighed, and Evie rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Evie, what about that game?" Remus asked. "I need my ten Galleons," he took James' place by the white pieces.

"Fine," Evie said, sitting down opposite him. "You play first,"

"Let's go Moony!"

"Let's go Kiwi!"

"Don't call her Kiwi, Padfoot,"

"Shut up, Prongs- _aaaand _she takes his bishop. What kind of a stupid move was that, Moony?"

"Like you can do any better, Sirius,"

"So now you're commentary?"

"Like it or not, Jamie,"

"Hey! That's not fair- _I _wanted to commentate,"

"Aaaand- there we go. Team Moony's rook's head brutally chopped off by Team Kiwi's knight. Nice job, Evie-Kiwi!"

"Thanks, Sirius,"

"And Team Moony retaliates by de-legging Team Kiwi's rook with _his _knight ,"

"_Prongs! _I'm commentary!"

"Too bad,"

"De-legging?"

"Yeah, cutting off his legs or whatever you call it,"

"Nice vocab,"

"I'm flattered,"

"Check!"

"Wow! Team Moony actually _checked _Team Kiwi!"

"It's too good to last,"

"Damn right you are,"

"There- what did I tell you? She just decapitated my other bishop! That's not fair- he's my favorite! I even named him!"

"What did you name him?"

"Umm…"

"No, come on, _tell me!"_

"No!"

"No one says no to Evie Potter,"

"Fine. Dragonbait. Happy?"

"_WHAT?"_

"Hey, shut up!"

"Like hell I'm going to shut up!"

"She's right, Moony. What sort of a guy names his favorite piece 'Dragonbait'?"

"I don't know!"

"Woah, pay attention, Moony, she just killed one of your pawns,"

"You _had _to tell him, James!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Evie,"

"Hey, that's not fair, Sirius was distracting me!"

"Can't blame me- I had a fair point,"

"He's right- _Dragonbait, _Moony, seriously?"

"I thought _I_ was Sirius,"

"ENOUGH WITH THE SIRIUS JOKES, PLEASE!"

"Checkmate,"

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"It's over?"

"AARGH!"

"Hey, it's okay, Moony, you got three of her players! And, umm… she got like twelve of yours…but that's not the point!"

"I LOST!"

"Ahem,"

"_What?"_

"Ten Galleons, please,"

"Hey, don't laugh, Evie, that's rude,"

"Sorry! But I can't help it if I always win!"

"Way to spoil Moony's mood, Evie,"

"Yeah, someday you could make a Marauderette,"

"No thanks,"

"I'm insulted,"

"SHUT UP!"

"Woah, Moony, just because you lost…"

"No, he's right. SHUT UP!" Evie yelled. "Look, it's just a chess game!"

"She's right," James sighed, and Evie smiled. "I need my Galleons," Evie's smile faltered.

"Here," Remus said, stuffing some gold into James' hand. James smirked, and everyone could tell what was coming next.

"In the name of Merlin, someone _please _change the subject!" Sirius whispered pleadingly.

"I can't _wait _to go to Hogwarts!" Evie shrieked and everyone jumped. "Even though I've got like four years…" Sirius mouthed 'thank you' to Evie, who winked at him. It appeared to have worked, as James' smug expression instantly changed to an excited one.

"I can't wait to meet Lily!" he said impatiently. "Say, how long've we got?"

"Hmm…yeah, a week,"

"_A week?"_

"A week,"

"I'll miss you guys," Evie said quietly.

"Don't worry, we'll be back by Christmas," James said, patting her back comfortingly. Evie grabbed Toto from the table and squeezed him tight.

"Relax, we've got a week to enjoy," Remus said encouragingly.

"A week till we board the Hogwarts Express for the last time," Sirius said sadly.

* * *

**Okay, that was quite a small chapter, but the next one is going to be much bigger, so _please _don't stop reading! I'll update it as fast as possible! **


	5. Taking Off

**All of you guys who reviewed- thanks! It helped me a lot by reading what you thought of my story. **

**Hope you like the fifth chapter as well! :)**

* * *

"Hey, guys, I found an empty compartment!" Hestia yelled, and Lily and Alice ran the length of the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, and found themselves very near to the end of the train.

"Good on you, Hest," Lily said breathlessly, flopping down on the seat.

"Wow, someone's in a big hurry," Hestia exclaimed.

"No reason," Lily said, but her considerably pink face gave her away.

"Lily, you can tell us," Alice said softly, sitting down in the seat in front of her.

"I said it's nothing!" Lily said impatiently, but in truth, it wasn't nothing. She had been hoping not to be able to have to talk to the Marauders for as long as possible. Especially James. What on earth would she say to him? So far, she had been lucky- she hadn't even caught a glimpse of them on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and neither on the train. She wanted to stay as out of sight as possible. Ever since their brief encounter in Diagon Alley a week ago, Lily hadn't heard from James at all. She could remember the last time she had seen him- he was crying. If she met him now, what would she say?

"Is it what happened in Knockturn Alley?" Hestia asked. For Lily hadn't told them about that incident. No one except her and James knew. And she was sure he wouldn't tell anyone- why would he?

She decided to lie.

"Yes," she said, and Alice and Hestia didn't question her any further.

"Look, the train's started," Alice exclaimed.

"Say, won't the trolley be coming around now?" Hestia questioned, looking at her 'stylish' blue watch.

"Yeah, I'll go buy some stuff," Lily said, getting up and making her way towards the compartment door. Just as soon as she slid it open, the trolley appeared, stopping right in front of her.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Umm…ten Chocolate Frogs and a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, please," Lily said, withdrawing her money bag from her pocket.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Lily-Flower," Sirius said, emerging from the compartment right next to hers and grinning at her. Lily groaned. So much for thinking she wouldn't get the chance to see him for the rest of the train ride.

"Now, you've _got_ to stop groaning whenever you see me, Petal, I must say it dampens my spirits," Sirius frowned.

"Whatever makes you think that?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes at him, while excepting her parcel from the Trolley-Woman and giving her the money.

"Ten of each category, dearest," Sirius winked at the Trolley-Woman, who blushed. Seriously, he would flirt with _anyone_. As the Trolley-Woman busied herself, Sirius leaned forward and made to whisper something in Lily's ear.

"I was wondering, Flower, whether you'd introduce me to your dear friend over there," he whispered, gesturing towards her compartment, and Lily laughed.

"Neither of them would go out with you, Black," she grinned. Alice and Hestia were looking at them curiously.

"Not Prewett, I meant Jones," Sirius said.

"You _actually _think-" Lily began, but was cut off as Sirius put his hand in front of her mouth as if to quiet her down.

"Watch this," he said, before standing up straight and looking at Hestia with his charming, twinkling eyes, and winking at her. To Lily's surprise, Hestia blushed and turned to stare out the window with a glazed look in her eyes.

"Ask her?" he asked Lily.

"In your dreams," Lily said curtly before turning around and walking straight into her compartment. After shutting the door carefully, she gave Hestia her special death glare which she reserved for only some purposes.

"What were you doing with Black? It looked like you two were best friends or something," Alice asked. Lily ignored her and continued to glare at Hestia.

"_You like Sirius Black?"_ she whispered furiously.

"Umm…" Hestia blushed.

"You do?" Alice asked her incredulously.

"How could you tell? Was it too big a giveaway? Oh no…"

"No, he _asked _me to ask you whether you'd go out with him!"

"Great," Hestia rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean-" Alice was unable to complete her sentence as the compartment door slid open and James' head poked through. Lily groaned internally.

"Umm…the Heads' meeting?" he asked, looking at Lily with a questioning expression on his face. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. How was she going to explain herself to Alice and Hestia now? She turned to look at them, and noticed that both of them had completely nonchalant expressions on their faces. For a second, she looked confused.

"I didn't think you were one to take on the messenger job," Hestia said. "So tell me, which smart guy's Head Boy?"'

"Me," James said, looking at her bewilderedly. "I thought Lily would have told you-" one look at Lily told him to shut up, though. She was looking like she was ready to murder someone. Alice and Hestia were just gaping at him.

"No. Freaking. Way." Hestia spluttered.

"Not possible." Alice mumbled.

"You- Potter- Arse- Git- What-" Hestia struggled to get the right words out.

"Wait, _you knew?_" Alice exclaimed, turning to face Lily. "And you didn't tell us?" Lily's stomach dropped. _Here comes the bomb, s_he thought. Alice opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Hestia's spluttering.

"No- Possible- _Potter-_ Head?- I- Kill- WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE HEAD BOY?" she yelled suddenly, and all of them jumped. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! YOU- WHAT WAS DUMBLEDORE _THINKING?_"

"I've ruled out the drunk suggestion," Lily muttered.

"Hey, maybe…wait- are you always stupid, or is it just when we're around?" Hestia asked, suddenly deep in thought. James rolled his eyes.

"Yeah…" he said sarcastically. "You know what? I'm so smart I actually Imperiused Dumbledore into making me Head Boy!"

"You did?" Alice asked, and James shook his head at her.

"You think?" he asked.

"And why didn't you tell us?" Alice turned to Lily. Lily turned pink.

"I didn't- umm…" she stammered. Hestia looked at her with a smug expression on her face. Lily could tell what she was thinking. "Look, I need to go. Heads' meeting," and without another glance at her two friends, Lily walked straight out the door and into the passageway, James close at her heels. Lily looked into his face and the memories came back to her…why she was so keen on avoiding them.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry about your aunt and uncle…" Lily trailed off, and she noticed James' expression turn into a sad one.

"No, don't be. There was nothing you could have done. Just drop it." Lily knew that he didn't wish to talk about it. Lily had gone through this before, when her father had died ten years previously, and knew exactly what it felt like to lose someone close to you and have those hundred feelings shoot through your mind at the same time.

"Did you know I lost my father when I was seven?" she asked quietly, and James looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. It must've been terrible,"

"It was," she said. "I couldn't eat well for weeks. I couldn't sleep. I used to lie awake each night thinking about the last time I saw him, what I said to him, and I've regretted ever since,"

"I'm sorry,"

"I had lost my temper the last time I saw him. I yelled at him, and I can still see his guilty looking eyes as he disappeared through the doorway…and I never saw him again," James just looked at her. "But it got better, so…." Her voice trailed off.

"So what?"

"So I'm saying that I've gone through the same thing, so if you ever need to talk about it…" as soon as she said it, she regretted it. What sort of a person says that to her mortal enemy? She expected James to smile his 'James-Potter-Trying-To-Act-Like-A-Normal-Human-Being' smile, and sure enough, he smiled at her.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not talk about it," he said.

"Okay," she replied.

"So…I've never been to the Prefects' compartment," he said, trying to strike some conservation.

"Obviously," she rolled her eyes. And James just stared at her. She was back to normal, all right. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it was going to be.

"I just…." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Look, I want to get a few things straight," she said stiffly. James listened intently. "It's not Lily. It's not James. It's Evans. And Potter. I don't want anyone to think we're friends, because we're not,"

"Fine," he shrugged.

"Fine," she said. They had finally reached the end of the train, and Lily had slid open the compartment door on their left. "_This_ is the Prefects' compartment," James went and flopped down on the seat, nearest to the window.

"I think I'm dying…..that walk….was too much…" he gasped sarcastically, clutching his heart. Lily just rolled her eyes and sat down opposite him.

"You think I'm going to believe that?" she asked, and James at up straight and looked at her dejectedly.

"Damn," he muttered.

"I'm not _that _stupid, Potter," she grinned, as James looked around the compartment interestedly.

"Not much different than the others," he exclaimed, frowning. For a second, Lily looked confused, but then she realized that he was talking about the compartment.

"Well, why should it be?" Lily raised her eyebrows at him.

"I dunno…I just thought….it would hold some importance," he said, shrugging slightly.

"So did I, on my first Prefects' meeting," Lily said.

They sat there in silence for several minutes. Both of them squirmed occasionally and tried to avoid each other's gaze. Talk about awkward.

_Say something. Say something. Say something, _Lily thought furiously. _You can't just sit here and let him take advantage of this! _

_Good Lord. What am I supposed to say? _James thought, panicking. _'So, Evans, some weather today, huh?' Yeah right, she'll think I'm a doofus. How about…'I like your shoes, Evans," Nah, she'll kill me. I'd be asking for a death sentence. 'Let's play, Evans,' Good Lord, what in the world's wrong with my head? If I say that I might as well consider myself to be killed twice. _

"So, um- what are we supposed to be doing?" James asked finally, sticking to the safe side. Yeah, that was the right thing to say. Lily sighed with relief that he actually asked a worthwhile question, and shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea," she admitted. "I thought you knew,"

"Well, they just told me to go for the Heads' meeting and that all the prefects'll be here in an hour or so…" James said, looking at his watch. "I really thought you'd know what to do, you know, with your 'I'm-So-Smart' reputation…" he immediately regretted saying that when he saw Lily's face going red with anger.

"So anyway, what are we doing?" Lily asked, deciding to avoid yelling at him, it would waste a lot of their time.

"No idea," James said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I've never been a Head before," they said in unison. Lily's mouth twitched a bit. If it were Alice or Hestia, she would have said 'Jinx!' but she knew it wasn't the right moment. Honestly, what would James have thought of her? But then she reminded herself, she had never cared what James thought. but nowadays she was always thinking- 'What would Potter think about this?' for whatever she did. Ignoring that feeling in her stomach, she put on a fake smile.

"Well, I must say great minds think alike," James grinned, noticing her smile.

"Like you're a great mind," she rolled her eyes.

"Well, then, I think I must be forced to dance naked in front of you to remind you I'm Head Boy," he reasoned, and Lily blushed a deep maroon.

"Don't you dare-" she half yelled, hands balled into fists.

"Whoa, I compliment you and you just throw insults at me?" James frowned playfully at her.

"Actually, I'm under the impression that you _always _compliment me and I _always _throw insults at you," Lily retorted. "I don't think I'm ready to change the routine yet,"

"Fine, how about I _don't_ compliment you and you _don't _throw insults at me and instead we get this goddamn Heads' meeting over with so I can go back to my compartment and finish planning our opening feast prank?" James said in one breath. He was glad he could get all that out in one sentence.

"Okay, well, what do we talk about?" Lily asked, trying to pass off the feeling of anger she always felt at the mention of the Marauders' opening feast pranks.

"I dunno," James shrugged. "But I guess, you know- with all this Voldemort stuff going on we could-"

"Talk about patrols or something? Good idea," Lily said, her mind flooding with all sorts of ideas. The Marauders always used to say 'Voldemort' instead of 'You-Know-Who', so she was used to it by now, and didn't care very much.

"Well, then, let's get started," James rubbed his hands together and leaned forward in his seat. Lily moved back instinctively- like she said, you could never trust the Marauders. As soon as she had realized what she had done, she blushed profusely, and James raised his eyebrows at her, amused.

"Really, Evans?" he asked, a grin playing across his features.

"Oh, bugger off," she mumbled.

"I would if I could, but…" James sighed, leaning back in his seat again and stretching. "I believe we're here to talk about patrols."

"Right," she said, still blushing. James chose to ignore it (how many things could he do right that day?) and instead started to pipe up some conversation. The most of the next hour went in discussing patrols, and Lily could tell that it was easy to talk to him when he was not yelling or saying some sort of offensive things to her. She wished it wouldn't be so easy, though. She wished James would give her good reason to yell at him. But she didn't find any. She actually found herself laughing at James' jokes a couple of times. Merlin, what was she turning into?

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Severus stop by their compartment and look at them furiously.

Tears had formed in his eyes, and he looked up so that people around wouldn't notice he was crying. He had lost Lily. He had acknowledged that. But he had lost her to _him…? _That he found it impossible to register in his mind. Before Lily had any chance to notice him, he strode off towards the Slytherin end of the train, silent sobs escaping his mouth as he walked with his head held down towards the floor.

"Hey! I forgot! We're going to have to say something to the prefects when they come here!" James exclaimed suddenly, cupping his face in both his hands.

"Yeah, so?" Lily questioned.

"So what am I supposed to tell them?"

"Talk about patrols," she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which it probably was.

"No, I mean, _how _am I supposed to tell them? I've never really been good at this," James panicked, and Lily sighed.

"Fine, I'll write it down for you, and you just read it out. Happy?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks," James sighed with relief, as Lily conjured up a piece of parchment and a quill and started writing. They spent the next few minutes in silence.

"Yo, Prongs," a voice came from the doorway. James turned to look and saw Remus standing there, hands in his pockets and grinning at him.

"Moony!" he exclaimed. "Good you're here, it's like watching a snail walk a hundred miles,"

"Snails don't walk," Lily corrected, and James rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he said, and turned to look at Remus again.

Remus had straightened his non-existent tie and had held his chin in the air. James raised an eyebrow at him, but Remus just looked at him with an expression of mock superiority.

"May I establish the fact that as of now, I am not 'Moony' or 'Mate' or even 'Someone I've met once and now we're friends'-"

"Get to the point," James sighed.

"As of now, we are colleagues, and so you may address me as 'Mr. Lupin," Remus said extremely formally.

"Fine, please sit down, Mr. Lupin, and you may call me 'You Majesty' or 'Your Headship' or 'Your Wonderfulness'- "

"Yes, I _may, _but I don't think I want to," Remus winked, and James rolled his eyes. "Oh, hey, Lily," he waved at her, and Lily waved back. She never really had a problem getting along with him.

"Hey, Re-" she gasped as Remus threw his arms around her and crushed her bones with a tight bear hug.

"Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you since, like, forever!" he squealed.

"What was that about?" Lily asked, pushing him off her.

"I dunno, I was just trying to talk girl," Remus shrugged.

"You got it right, mate," James grinned.

"I told you, It's not 'Mate', it's-"

"Yeah, yeah, 'Mr. Lupin', I know," James said.

"Well, here come the rest of the prefects," Lily indicated the door. Sure enough, the door slid open and around a half a dozen people walked in and sat down.

"Hello, I'm the new Gryffindor prefect," a girl with short brown hair held her hand out to Lily. Lily's jaw clenched when she saw who it was.

"Sit down, Mary," Lily said scornfully, ignoring the hand. Mary was taken aback and withdrew her hand slowly while looking at Lily with reproachful eyes- it seemed she knew exactly why Lily was acting like this.

Mary MacDonald was in Lily's year and was extremely annoying. To her, anyway. They had been good friends till the end of the fifth year. In their sixth year, however, Mary seemed to develop a liking in James, and ever since then, had started acting very mean towards Lily. It was sort of obvious that she was jealous of her. They hadn't had a normal conversation since then.

Mary went and sat down next to James, and Lily rolled her eyes. The insolence.

"Well, then, let's get started," she said, clapping her hands together and everyone paid rapt attention. She looked at James expectantly and he cleared his throat.

"Okay, I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to say to you guys," he admitted, and Mary giggled. Lil felt anger boil up inside her. Why, she didn't know. "And before any of you ask me how on earth I became Head Boy, the answer is, '_I don't frigging know, stop asking me!'_. You won't believe how many people have asked me, It gets really annoying,"

Lily watched as Mary looked at him with her wide, looking-as-if-I'm-paying-attention-to-a-single-word-you-say-so-I-can-impress-you eyes, which she always reserved just for him. Just looking at it made Lily sick to her stomach.

"Luckily, Good ol' Evans here wrote it down for me so all I have to do is read it out," he said happily, waving the piece of parchment around in the air. "A _biiiiiiig_ round of applause for her please, she just saved my life," Everyone clapped except Remus. James winked at him and then faced the others with an incredulous expression on his face.

"Wow, I can't believe you dunderheads actually clapped," he said, astonished. Lily saw the grin on Mary's face falter when James apparently just called her a dunderhead. It brought a smirk to her face. James noticed this but chose to ignore it.

"Seriously?" Remus muttered to Lily, amused.

"Watch," she grinned at him.

"Ahem," James cleared his throat. "Good Morning. I, James Potter, A.K.A the biggest jerk in the school, am this year's Fathead Boy," his eyes widened in horror, and everyone laughed, saving Mary and the two Slytherin prefects.

"Good one," Remus chuckled to Lily, who grinned.

"That's not all," she said.

"In case you all haven't noticed, I can't stop reading," James gushed. He couldn't stop reading. "By the way, that was on the paper.

Lily Evans is taking this chance to humiliate me in public by making me insult myself. May I remind you that I was stupid enough to fall for this and that you guys will probably relate this incident to the entire school, which Lily Evans is hoping for, I'm sure,"

"Talk about seizing your chance," Remus laughed to Lily.

"I've wanted this, since, like, forever," Lily mimicked.

"Well, you've got the girl talk right," Remus winked.

"I try," she smiled.

"Boy, is Sirius going to hear about this," Remus laughed.

'Potter's going to get it bad, I bet," Lily grinned.

"You think?" Remus rolled his eyes.

"Ssh- look, he's going off again," Lily quieted him.

"I'm so shameless that I actually snogged Madame Fufu's shoes last year," James said, and everyone roared with laughter. Lily chanced a glance at Mary, who had her eyes widened, and which brought a smug look to her face.

"Pray tell, Miss Evans, who in heaven's name is Madame Fufu?" Remus spluttered through his laughter.

"No idea," Lily replied, clutching her sides as Remus raised his eyebrows at her.

"Right,"

"Ssh- look!" Lily whispered.

"And let me tell you why Evans always calls me an arrogant toerag," James siad, and everyone listened intently. "I regret now that I actually had the nerve to turn my hair blond in third year just to impress her for her false statement that she loved blond people,"

"I remember that," Remus laughed.

"Poor Potter. Deepest secrets revealed in a second," Lily faux sighed.

"I also put on lipstick on Valentine's Day so I could send Lily a kiss through a Valentine's Day card,"

"He _did?"_ Remus asked incredulously.

"Only last year," Lily shuddered. "I burned it like five seconds later,"

"Understandable," he reasoned.

"I will administer the fact that Lily Evans has been lenient this time and has not forced me to relate the other one thousand fifty-two times I have tried and failed to ask her out, since this is probably a waste of time for the Prefects' meeting. From your Fathead Boy, James Potter," he finished, sighing with relief. He could talk normally again. Once assured, he turned to look at Lily with horror.

"You're not the only one who can pull pranks," she said smugly.

"Hey, you know what?" James said, suddenly thoughtful. "I think maybe you deserve something for your first prank going so successfully,"

"True," Lily reasoned.

"Did I tell you I've always digged blonde chicks?" he asked.

"You wha-" Lily stopped midway as she eyed her newly-dyed blonde hair. She turned to look at James, who had his wand held out, before she yelled out in frustration.

"_POTTER! _Turn it back _this instant!_" she yelled, and scowled as everyone laughed at her, this time Mary included. She felt her very body shake with anger.

"But I thought you _loved _blonde hair!" James looked at her sarcastically.

"No, I don't! I _hate _it!"

"Now, now, Evans, it's the first word that counts,"

"Isn't this supposed to be a prefects' meeting?" as the Slytherin girl prefect.

"Right," said Remus, waving his wand and replacing Lily's red hair. Lily smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said, and the turned to glare at James.

"You. Are. Dead." She whispered threateningly, and James cowered slightly.

"Umm…Prefects' Meeting?" he said, giving a feeble attempt at changing the subject. It apparently worked, though, because Lily just scowled at him and turned to face the others. James sat up straight and sighed with relief. Good thing Lily could buy whatever he told her.

"So anyway, me and Potter were thinking…" the next hour or so went in the Prefects' Meeting, with Lily and James telling everyone about their plans for that year.

"Okay, so everything's settled, we start patrol duties tonight, and me and Potter will tell you when our next meeting is," she said finally. Everyone just stared at her, everyone except Remus, who had gotten up and made his way to the door.

"Well, don't tell me everyone except Moony can't help staring at my hair for a bit longer!" James gasped dramatically. "I'm flattered. Diggory, you never told me you were gay!" he exclaimed, looking at Amos Diggory, the Hufflepuff prefect, who flushed. Muttering something under his breath, he crossed the compartment and made his way out, followed by everyone else in less than five seconds. Mary, of course, went last, no doubt wanting to _actually _stare at James' hair a bit longer.

"Disgusting, but nonetheless effective," Remus grinned from the doorway.

"Good thing you weren't sitting down, or I might have had to bat my eyelashes at you," James shuddered.

"Yeah," Remus said, shuddering as well.

"You lot are so despicable," Lily snorted, walking out into the passageway.

"We acknowledged that fact six years ago, Evans," James rolled his eyes, following her.

"Okay, what say we catch up to Sirius and Peter now?" Remus said hastily, before any of the bickering could start. "Sirius is probably going bonkers sitting there alone with Wormtail. We should probably go save him,"

"Good idea," James said. "He might kill us if we don't,"

"Fine, I've got to get back to Hestia and Alice as well," she said.

"Umm…I wouldn't advise that," Remus cleared his throat nervously.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

"Well, I noticed on my way here that, um-"

"What?" she asked curiously. James was looking at him with curious eyes as well.

"Well, to be blunt, Frank 'stole' Alice and Sirius 'stole' Hestia," Remus gushed, and Lily and James gaped.

"Black and Hest?"

"Pads and Jones?"

"You've _got _to be kidding me,"

"No way!"

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I saw," Remus shrugged.

"Well, It's been like an hour and a half, they'll be back," Lily said, looking at her watch.

"Ahem, if I may say so, knowing Padfoot there's a high chance you won't get your best friend back in less than two," James said nervously.

"He's _that _bad?" Lily asked incredulously.

_"_Why are you asking us?" Remus asked, and then blushed.

"Do you think we _actually_…." James said, going red in the face.

"Well, Prongs might've, but-"

"Woah, I wouldn't go _that _far, Moony,"

"I cannot believe I'm having this conversation," Lily flushed.

"Neither am I," Remus said.

"I think we'll just go," James said, grabbing Remus' arm and dragging him across the passageway.

"Good idea," Lily said. "I'll get back as well,"

They made the rest of the journey in silence, all the way until they reached Lily's compartment.

"See you later," she said, walking into her empty compartment.

"What did we tell you_? _They're not back yet!" James grinned.

"I think I'll just wait," Lily said, sitting down on the seat.

"Fine, see you later," Remus said.

"Yeah, bye," Lily said, as James and Remus disappeared across the edge of the doorway. No sooner had they vanished that Alice appeared, Frank behind her.

"Stay there," Alice whispered to Frank, and then shut the compartment door behind her.

"Thank God, Alice, I was-" Lily sighed with relief.

"Look, Lily, I need to talk to you," Alice said quietly, sitting down opposite her. "And I don't want to make a scene,"

"What about?" Lily asked.

"You don't trust me, Lily," Alice said bluntly, and Lily looked at her with a curious expression.

"What do you mean-"

"You don't trust me with anything! You didn't tell me about Potter being Head Boy, or even about what happened in Knockturn Alley…"

"Well, I had a perfectly good reason!"

"What is it, then?" Alice asked curtly. Lily didn't seem able to find her voice. "See? You can't tell me anything, and you've never told me anything. Ever. And I'm supposed to be your friend, Lily, you should know that I'm here to help you!"

"Well of course I tell my friends things! Why wouldn't I?"

"'Friends' meaning Hestia," Alice said stiffly. "Right?"

"I-"

"No, this conversation is over," Alice said, standing up. "I'm really sorry, Lily, but I've put up with it for all these years, because you were one of my really good friends, but I don't think I can do it anymore. I think I deserve a friend who trusts me enough to tell me-"

"Alice, please," Lily pleaded.

"No, Lily, I'm sorry," Lily noticed that Alice actually had tears in her eyes. Seeing Alice so depressed brought some to her own as well. "Bye, I guess I'll see you later,"

"Alice!" Lily nearly yelled, but Alice had already gone, Frank on her tail. Alice had talked to her in the most calmest way possible, but Lily thought that it would have been better if she had yelled. Lily was fighting her tears- there were other people in the train, after all. She couldn't let anyone see her cry. Why was everything going wrong for her? Did she deserve it? _Yes, _said a small voice in the back of her head.

"Hey, Lily, what's up?" Hestia walked into the compartment.

"I-I-" Lily spluttered. Hestia noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Hestia whispered, sitting beside Lily, putting her arm around her shoulders.

"Alice isn't talking to me anymore,"

"What- why- what happened?"

"She says I don't trust her because- because I didn't t-tell her about Potter being Head Boy and about Knockturn Alley-"

"Oh!"

"Do you- do you think that?" Lily asked.

"Even if I did, I wouldn't leave you, Lily," Hestia said comfortingly.

"Thanks." Lily said.

"Hey, how about a game of Exploding Snap?" Hestia asked, trying to cheer Lily up.

"Yeah, fine," Lily said.

They spent the next few hours playing Exploding Snap, and all thoughts of Alice were driven from her mind as Lily had the most fun she had had in a long time. It was wonderful, just her and Hestia and that magical pack of cards.

"I think the train's slowing down," Hestia exclaimed suddenly.

"Yeah, I guess we're approaching Hogsmeade now," Lily said, looking out the window. "We should change,"

Sure enough, the train came to a halt outside the Hogsmeade Station a few minutes later. Hestia and Lily got down from the train and started walking towards the carriages lined up in front of them.

"Damn, most of them are already filled up," Hestia groaned. "We're going to have to share a carriage with someone,"

"That's fine, I just hope Alice isn't in it," Lily said.

"Look, Lily, just because Alice isn't your friend doesn't mean she's not mine," Hestia said, and Lily just looked at her. She felt like yelling at her, telling her that _she _was her best friend, not Alice, and that she should take her side but restricted herself. Hestia was right.

"Right," Lily said, and Hestia looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "No, you're right. I shouldn't drag you into this,"

"Hey, Evans?"

She turned around and found James standing behind her.

"And what do you want?" she asked scornfully. She definitely _did not _want to talk to James Potter right now.

"Well, we need to get into that carriage over there," he said, pointing to a carriage at the far end of the line.

"_Excuse _me?" she said, turning pink. "But I don't think you can force me to get into a carriage with you," James didn't notice her blush, since it was too dark, but Hestia could tell.

"_Really, _Evans?" he rolled his eyes. "I'm saying it's the Heads' carriage, we have to go up to the school through that,"

"Oh," she mumbled, scowling at Hestia, who winked at her.

"Okay then, you two have fun!" she said excitedly, clapping Lily and James on the back. "I'll go find a spot in some other carriage- see you at the opening feast!" and with that, Hestia turned on her heel (Seriously, she was actually wearing heels) and disappeared into the darkness.

"Coming?" James asked, and Lily nodded. They made their way through the warm summer's night all the way up to the carriage, Lily scowling all the way.

_Have fun? _What in the world was Hestia thinking? I mean, come on. She said 'have fun' to her in front of James. Lily registered a thought permanently in her mind- hex Hestia as soon as she saw her again. Probably turn her skin blue. Lily chuckled at the thought- Hestia _hated _blue.

"Here we are," James said, stopping in front of the carriage. Lily noticed that the carriages were different from the others- they were horseless but the one she was looking at at the moment was driven by…unicorns? She couldn't make it out, it was just too dark.

"After you, Madame," James gestured towards the carriage. Lily rolled her eyes and climbed in, followed by James, who sat down unnaturally close to her. Lily groaned- she was getting stuck alone with him far more times than she had hoped. It was turning into a nightmare.

"We're ready," James said to the coachman, who nodded and immediately whipped the horses, who broke into a run at once. The coachman's face was hidden, and Lily couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman.

"This is better than the normal carriages!" James yelled through the roar of the wind.

"I think it's worse!" Lily replied.

Little did she know, her 'worst ride ever' was about to turn into a far more interesting one.

* * *

**Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I just couldn't resist!**

** The sixth chapter's quite big, so I'll have it up in a week. Fine, to be precise, I'll have it up on Saturday (according to IST) so pleaaase keep in touch. I'm also thinking about picking Saturday as uploading day, so all chapters will now be updated on Saturdays (not always consecutively). It's not fixed, but I'll see how some organization and scheduling goes for a while. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	6. Attacked

"Isn't this great?" James exclaimed, as the carriage drove along the rocky road and they jumped each time a bump came along. All the other carriages had gone off ahead, and the one they were in was going slowly through the village of Hogsmeade.

"Um… we're going quite slowly…" Lily trailed off.

"So?" James asked. "We're probably meant to go slowly." Lily looked at his face and saw the usual cocky grin on it. It was so… inattentive. _Like always, _she reminded herself. He had no idea what was going on. She could interpret that by remembering his face in most of their classes- the only difference was that his grin was more joyous than mischievous. Big difference.

"Maybe." she said, but wasn't very assured. They had entered the Hogwarts grounds now, but instead of going towards the castle, they were heading towards Hagrid's cabin.

"I wonder why we're going to Hagrid's…" Lily said thoughtfully. James rolled his eyes. Why did she always have to be so… _thoughtful? _He had only caught slight glimpses of her when she was not quirking her eyebrow in thought.

"Seriously, do you worry about _everything?" _he asked, wondering why he asked that in the first place. Of course she did.

"Professor McGonagall told us to look at all the possibilities!" Lily said, looking at him in a sort of disapproving attitude. James just rolled his eyes again.

"Yeah," he said sarcastically, and Lily narrowed her eyes at him. Heaven knew she never liked to be made fun of.

The carriage had passed Hagrid's cabin and was now heading towards the Forbidden Forest, its speed increasing slightly.

"What the-"James said loudly. He was getting suspicious as well.

"Okay, I'm right; Dumbledore definitely wouldn't send us to the Forbidden Forest!" Lily shouted in anger.

"Who cares if you're right?" James yelled. "Okay, look, maybe you _are _right, but it doesn't really matter now!"

"Yeah- okay, you, what in the name of Merlin is going on?" she demanded the coachman. "Where are we going?" she felt she didn't need an answer to that question. They were already deep in the Forbidden Forest by then.

"Okay- looks like he's not mad in the head!" James narrowed his eyes and yanked his wand out of his pocket.

"Seems like you're right!" Lily exclaimed, drawing her wand out as well.

The coachman, realizing that his little plan was found out, whipped around in a flash. Seriously, _in a flash. _

Lily and James only caught a momentary glimpse of his masked face before he drew his wand and pointed it at James' chest.

"_Sectumsempra!" _he shouted in a deeply hoarse voice and James, completely caught by surprise, was knocked backwards due to the force and had toppled straight out of the carriage. Lily stuck her head out and was struggling to catch a glimpse of him as her long red hair swirled around her head and obstructed her eyesight. She finally saw something moving on the ground, no wait, _flailing _on the ground, its ear-piercing yells seeming to take her very breath away.

"_POTTER!" _she yelled as loud as she could, noticing a fresh red stain on the seat glittering in the moonlight. Lily didn't seem to be able to find her stomach anymore. She turned to face the masked man with a sort of fire in her eyes, and raised her wand furiously. She was out of control. _How dare he _do that?

"_REDUCTO!" _she yelled, pointing her wand directly at his face. His mask exploded and he stumbled backwards in pain, almost falling out of the carriage. The horse- things were galloping faster than ever.

Lily recognized his face from his many mentions in the _Daily Prophet. _He was Lucius Malfoy, a presumed Death Eater. And now, it was proven. He _was _a Death Eater. Boy, she could just assume she was rich already. But there was no time to daydream. Her blissful thoughts were immediately replaced by ones of anger. Terrible anger. She felt like this man didn't deserve to even have a bloody face. He didn't even deserve to be recognized.

He was too quick for her, though.

"_Incendio!" _he yelled, and Lily's hair caught fire, which she extinguished with a jet of water from her wand.

"Poor aim," she muttered, and wordlessly made large boils erupt on Malfoy's face. Made him look better, according to her. She smirked as she saw Malfoy's hands fly up to his face as he yelled out in pain. Seizing her chance, Lily dived out of the carriage, partly because she wanted to and partly by accident. She thudded violently to the ground, which was luckily clear of rocks. Her wet and slightly burned hair stuck to the ground and got coated in mud almost at once. She opened her eyes slowly, but saw only stars revolving around her head. She blinked twice, trying to ignore the throbbing pain she felt in her head and the rest of her body. She just lay there for a few seconds, trying to get her mind straight, but then she realized that she had to act fast. She attempted to sit up, but her aching legs restricted her from doing so. So instead, she cocked her head slightly to the side, to see where the carriage had gone. Sure enough, it had disappeared in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, and wasn't visible anymore. Neither were Malfoy's yells. But as soon as his yells depleted, fresh ones sounded in her ears. Even through the weak condition of her ears, she could still make out James' voice. Her eyes widened at once. She should go after the carriage, shouldn't she? That would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? She couldn't let Malfoy get away! What sort of a Gryffindor would she be, then?

She could distantly hear the sorting hat….. _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart…_ what kind of Gryffindor was she, if she couldn't even chance a small amount of bravery to go after him?

But those yells… they were horrible. She reconsidered running after the Death Eater, but then James' face loomed out in front of her. She couldn't let him die, either! So what if she hated him? That was a mark of a true Gryffindor… chivalrous towards those whom you detest as well. Without thinking, Lily got up, whispered a soft 'Lumos,' and began running in the opposite direction.

She was getting tired. Those yells didn't seem to get any louder. In fact, they slowly depleted until she couldn't hear them at all. Was she going the wrong way? No, that wasn't possible. The trees were starting to thin out, and she was sure James had fallen nearby. Clutching her sides in fatigue, Lily took deep, gasping breaths, but she didn't stop running. She couldn't stop running. Even though she wanted to, she couldn't stop.

It felt like she had been running forever. The Forbidden Forest didn't seem to end. She half expected the carriage to appear any second, trapping her, leaving her no way out. This seemed to give her the strength to move on. But it didn't come. She ran like she had never run in her life, all the way till she saw something huddled on the ground, a few yards in front of her. She couldn't have noticed it unless she came close enough. She directed her wand onto it. It was still. Unmoving.

_No, no, no, no. no! _Lily tried to convince herself. She stopped running and approached the figure slowly. She could make out James' face, white with excessive loss of blood, his wand lying a few feet away from him. His eyes were closed, and he could have passed off as sleeping. But to Lily, he wasn't sleeping. How could he be, with his red, blood-soaked robes? She edged towards him. She didn't notice it, but there were undeniable tears in her eyes, flowing down her cheeks in thick streams.

"James?" she whispered. She was now standing a yard away from him. The pain in her sides was unnoticeable now. James didn't stir. She hadn't expected him to. Saying his name just made her feel better. She took a step forwards, and her foot sunk into the ground. Weird.

She looked down and her eyes widened in horror. The dirt had softened from the blood, and her foot had sunk one good inch into the ground. She looked at James and noticed, for the first time, how much blood had been lost. She almost screamed. She wanted to scream, to let out all her emotions that she couldn't hold inside anymore. Anger. Worry. Fright.

But she couldn't. He was alive, she could tell. And she needed to save him. She had to. She couldn't even allow herself to imagine him dead.

So instead of screaming, she fell to her knees beside him as her knees buckled from the pain in her head. She blinked, as if that could make the stars in front of her eyes vanish and help her think more clearly. Then she leaned down and kissed James on the cheek, not out of love, but to remind him that she was there and wasn't going to leave.

Good thing he was asleep.

* * *

"MALFOY!" Bellatrix screeched, as the carriage rocked into sight. She got no answer. The carriage just rambled past her and a prominent hint of red showed in her cheeks.

"_Immobulus!" _she halted the carriage with her wand and stomped up to it, the shadows of the trees around her fleeting across her face, making her seem strangely eerie. They were deep inside the Forbidden Forest, a dozen or so Death Eaters standing stiffly a little way away from her, and a small camp set up. They were very well- concealed, what with the dense cluster of trees and the thorny, knee-length bushes surrounding them.

"Get out! Now!" Bellatrix ordered, arms folded and standing in front of the carriage door. Malfoy staggered out, both arms still clutching his unrecognizable face. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. He could be an imposter- was his face purposely disguised? Malfoy groaned and Bellatrix seemed to recognize his voice, however, and with a snort of exasperation, she flicked her wand and the boils vanished. Malfoy straightened his back and breathed a sigh of relief. It only lasted for a second, though, because as soon as he saw Bellatrix's face, he whitened considerably. In the sharp moonlight, he seemed to look like a ghost. What would he say to her? Explaining yourself to Bellatrix Lestrange… it was no easy task.

"Well, the Mudblood, Malfoy?" Bellatrix asked, a villainous grin crossing her face. "Remember, the Dark Lord said-"

"I, um-"

"How the Dark Lord will reward me, when he finds out that _I _am the one who brought him the Mudblood…" a dreamy expression fogged her eyes as she mentioned the name.

"One tiny problem, Bella," Malfoy cleared his throat nervously.

"Yes?" she asked, looking at him with curious eyes.

"The Mudblood, well…I don't have her," he mumbled. He looked down at the ground so as to not have the unwanted privilege of seeing her murderous expression at the moment.

"YOU _WHAT?" _she yelled, and Malfoy cowered. "_One _job, Lucius, and you can't do it-"

"It wasn't my fault! They were far cleverer than I anticipated! I fought bravely, I'll have you know-" Lucius gave a feeble attempt at defending himself.

"Well, well, well…You may not know the meaning of 'fear', but then again, you don't know the meaning of most words- something like the time when I told you to let me do it myself," Bellatrix breathed heavily.

"I turned around and hit the other one by mistake! How was I supposed to know which one was the Mudblood?"

"I don't care, explain what you will to the Dark Lord," Bellatrix said with some sort of finality. "I am here to obey him, and so this time you can direct your unreliable arse to the carriage while I go and get it right,"

"Bella!"

"You need to sit down, Lucius," Bellatrix smiled, trying to look kind. But she still looked extremely intimidating. Lucius saw right through her expression- it was obviously a fake. Bellatrix never smiled at anyone but the Dark Lord. "Go. Put your mind at rest. It _obviously _needs it," she said scornfully. Lucius realized there was no use arguing with her any longer. She would probably 'Avada Kedavra' him without hesitation. Lucius hung his head and sulked over to the carriage.

Bellatrix turned to face the other Death Eaters.

"You! Nott! Get over here!" she ordered, and a tall Death Eater at the very end of the line stumbled forwards in fear. "There's a little game I want to play,"

"Yes, Madam Lestrange?" Nott asked cautiously.

"I have this extremely fun game in mind," she said. All the Death Eaters were listening intently.

"What is it?"

"It's called- 'Let's See Who Drives a Knife through the Pureblood's Heart first,'" she sneered maliciously, her eyes glinting with the excitement of battle.

"We like that game, Madam Lestrange,"

* * *

Lily was on her knees beside James, and was starting to panic.

"What do I do, what do I do, what do I d-do-" she burst out crying as she realized that there was nothing she _could _do. She would have to sit there, struggling to stay conscious, and watch him die. She wept harder than she ever had before as she thought of the uncomfortable situation she was in. No one would get there in time to help him; he would die there without anyone there beside him… except her. Lily realized was sort of importance she held at that moment, how she was the only one there who would be able to give some comfort, if none at all, to him. It was all she could do. So she squeezed his hand tightly, and a fresh sob escaped her as she noticed that his hand was as limp as it could ever be. He needed comfort. He had gotten it. But what about her? She needed comfort as well. And his limp hand showed her that there was no way she was going to get it.

She looked up as she heard faint voices and squinted just enough to see small dark shadows in the distance… people approaching her. So, this was it. The end.

Or maybe not.

"Lily?"

Lily turned her head around wearily and found herself face-to-face with whom she presumed were Madam Rosmerta, Aberforth, and the Honeydukes owner. A mingled sense of happiness and fright made her numb in the stomach.

"What- what-" she spluttered.

"It's fine, Lily," Rosmerta said kindly. Lily felt her eyes heat up with tears again.

"No, it's- it's n-not," she stammered through her sobs. "L-Look what th-they did to h-him!" she gestured towards James' limp figure. Rosmerta as well as the others turned white when they saw him but tried to conceal their shock.

"You need to leave at once, we can hold them off," the Honeydukes owner said, patting Lily's back and looking into the distance where the shadows seemed to come closer every second. "He absolutely needs to get up to the castle for medical care,"

"No, but- how can I leave you here?" Lily said, flabbergasted. Her whole body seemed to be shaking.

"For Merlin's sake!" Aberforth yelled, and everyone jumped. "Now's not the time to be noble! Look at him! He's going to die! Now tell me whether you want to watch it happen or not!"

Lily glanced at James' face, which was slowly draining of color, and realized that Aberforth was right. He didn't have much time. He needed to get out of there.

"Fine. B-But how?"

"Ah, yes, perfect timing," the Honeydukes owner exclaimed. Rosmerta seemed confused, but Aberforth was looking knowledgably at a spot a few feet away from where James lay.

"Of course… his blood! Who would have thought it actually proved useful!" he exclaimed, and Lily just stared at him.

"What-" she began, but was cut off by the Honeydukes owner's desperate tugging of her arm.

"Thestral," he said, but Lily just adorned a confused look.

"Excuse me?"

"Merlin, you can't see it," he muttered furiously. Before Lily could say anything, however, he had swept her off her feet and was now carrying her in his arms.

"What in heaven's name do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily. The Honeydukes owner didn't reply, but instead dropped her on something solid.

'_Thank _you," she breathed, and looked down. Her mouth dropped open. There was nothing there. She almost toppled over in fright, but then steadied herself as she realized… the horseless carriages- they weren't horseless. They were driven by Thestrals. She vaguely remembered Professor Kettleburn mention them a few years previously. She groped around for the Thestral's neck and, once found, she put her arms around it carefully. She looked behind her as Aberforth placed James gently on the back of the Thestral. She looked down at his face worriedly.

"Don't worry. He won't fall. Go." Aberforth said, and Lily nodded.

"Be careful,"

"MUDBLOOD!" Lily's stomach dropped as she heard Bellatrix's voice. She didn't realize they had come so close. Without thinking twice, she kicked the Thestral's side with her leg, and it immediately leapt into the air. She looked downwards and caught a glimpse of Aberforth dueling Bellatrix before the canopy of the Forbidden Forest didn't allow her to see the ground anymore. She couldn't help but look down at James, whose jet black hair actually made her look twice to be able to find his face. The moonlight lit up his figure, white as a sheet, his robes billowing in the wind. He looked so helpless. She almost let go of the Thestral so she could move his hair to the side, alter his appearance a bit, to make her feel a bit better. She half expected him to fall off the Thestral, but he didn't. She tore her eyes away from him and turned to face the castle instead. The sharp wind threw her hair backwards and cut into her cheeks like sharp knives. The pain in her body came back in full force, and she was trying harder than ever not to faint. James needed her, after all. If she fainted, the she could probably consider the both of them to be dead.

The Thestral touched down on the Astronomy Tower, which was deserted at the moment. Great. Just _great._ What a wonderful day it was.

James toppled over the side of the Thestral and splattered blood all over the floor. Lily fought the urge to scream in terror. She stumbled over the side of the Thestral and held on to the railing for support- her legs could give way any second.

"Help!" she yelled as loud as she could. "Someone- Please-" she burst into tears as she realized that no one could hear her.

"No- no- please- someone, help me-" she allowed herself to fall to the floor on her knees. Unfortunately, even her knees could not support her weight and she toppled headfirst to the ground. Her head hit something soft, and her eyes automatically closed. The cool breeze and the warm material she was resting on almost made her drift off to sleep. After all, nothing could be done.

She was just about to give up hope when she felt a firm hand grip her shoulder and jerk her upwards. She opened her eyes slowly and looked upwards to see two Albus Dumbledores. She blinked, and the two morphed into one Dumbledore, who was looking at her with a slightly worried expression.

"Professor?" she whispered.

"Lily," he said. "I don't think James would be a suitable pillow for you, you must get to the Hospital Wing,"

Lily looked down and realized that she had indeed almost fallen asleep on James' torso.

"Sir-"

"I heard," he said shortly, conjuring up a stretcher and magicking James onto it. "Lily, I need you to take James up to the Hospital Wing for me," he said.

"Sir, I don't think I can manage," Lily said uncertainly. Dumbledore was still holding on to her arm, which was probably the only thing supporting her weight at the moment.

"You can," he said. "I wouldn't have told you to if you couldn't. Go quickly, I assume have somewhere to be at the moment," he gestured towards the forest, where sparks of light were erupting from the trees casting a faint glow all around.

Lily nodded and tried to feel her toes again. Her heart leapt when she found out she could. She was able to balance on her own two feet now. She could see clearly. The pain in her head seemed to vanish. She had something to do… something important. She drew her wand out of her pocket and silently cast the stretcher into the air. With an assuring glance at Dumbledore, Lily took the stairs two at a time till she finally reached the seventh floor corridor. It was barren. No doubt everyone had gone to bed already.

The Hospital Wing was down on the fourth floor. Could she run fast enough to make it there in time? There was no time to think about it, though, it had to be done.

She sprinted all the way down to the Hospital Wing and threw open the door.

"MADAM POMFREY!" she yelled. Madam Pomfrey emerged from a door at the far end of the Hospital Wing with a fluffy blue nightcap on her head.

"Yes?" she yawned. "I don't get people in so early in the year… it must be a first," her eyes widened as she saw James' blood-soaked figure and Lily's tearstained face.

"Merlin," she breathed.

"Can you- can you fix-" Lily sobbed as Madam Pomfrey practically ran the length of the Hospital Wing and skidded to a halt in front of her. She could tell from her face that it was not going to be easy.

"Are you hurt?" Madam Pomfrey asked, while transferring James to the bed closest to her at the same time.

"Not quite, at least not as much as him," Lily said. "I'm j-just tired,"

"Come here then, let me take a look at you," Madam Pomfrey grabbed her hand and pulled her towards her.

"No! Just give me a Sleeping Potion or something that I can take later, I'll be fine," Lily said hurriedly. The more time Madam Pomfrey wasted in fussing over her, the more time James would be losing. Madam Pomfrey's eyes flew over her figure as if to find any wounded spots, before grabbing a flask and stuffing it into her hand.

"Fine. Here, take this when you're going to sleep," she said, and Lily nodded.

"Can you take a look at him now?"

"All right, but then you have to wait outside till I'm done with him," Madam Pomfrey said, pulling the curtains to his bed closed and shutting him from sight. Lily looked at her incredulously.

"_Done _with him?" she nearly yelled. "You expect me to wait outside when he's-"

"Wait outside!" Madam Pomfrey said in a commanding tone. " I don't want you to get emotional when I'm working on him!"

"What are you going to be doing to him?" Lily yelled.

"Clock's ticking!" Madam Pomfrey yelled back. Lily huffed and stomped out the door, slamming it behind her. At first, she considered going to the Heads' Dorm, but he didn't know where that was and she couldn't leave anyway. Not when James was in this state and would probably need her help. No one knew except her and Dumbledore… and the teachers, if he'd told them. So instead of walking away, Lily leaned back on the wall and slid down to the floor, her knees pressed up against her chest and her head in her arms.

What if he died? What would she do then? She would probably have to wake up in the Heads' dorm each day expecting him to walk down the staircase and he wouldn't come. Even thought she didn't want to, she kept on picturing him dead, and what would happen if he would die. It wasn't as if she cared for him or anything, it was just that if he died, she would walk around for the rest of her life with the guilt that she didn't do anything when she could have.

She was brought back from her reverie by the hooting of an owl that sounded somewhere close to her. She looked up and found a large, bright snowy owl near her feet, a letter clutched in its beak. She grabbed the envelope and read the name on it:

_James Potter_

_Hogwarts_

Lily looked at the bright, snowy owl. So it was true- the Potter family really was rich. Looking at the owl itself told her that.

"You _do _know I look nothing like James, right?" Lily asked the owl, which just hooted at her. Good Lord, she was talking to an _owl. _There was something definitely wrong in her head.

She slit open the envelope without hesitation and began reading it. She couldn't help it- she was a curious person.

_Dear James,_

_Yeah, I know. I'm sending you a letter on the first day of school. So go on, laugh. Like I care. But I can't help it- I miss you already!_

_So, have you met Lily yet? (I know you expected me to ask that question!) If you have, then I'm guessing she wasn't very pleased to see you. Yeah, I'll wear a helmet in case you decide to kill me when you get back, but it's true. From what you told me about her, I think she's a bit like me, so I know what she'd do. _

_I miss you so much! Auntie Carrie and Uncle Danny are too busy to play chess with me. So now I'm stuck with Toto. He's no fun, though. _

_I don't know why, but Auntie and Uncle are worried. They think something might happen to you at Hogwarts. Please be careful!_

_I love you, James, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Cry to death, maybe. Please reply so I know you're okay._

_Your cousin,_

_Evie- Kiwi_

_(Yeah, I've used Sirius' nickname for me!)_

Lily let the letter slip from her hands and flutter to the floor. She wanted to cry, but tears didn't seem to come out.

She had put two and two together in a second. Evie was James' cousin. From the handwriting, she could guess she was about… seven or eight? It made sense. When James had found out that Paul and Sophia had died, he had yelled 'Evie!' and bolted. Lily could remember the incident perfectly- it had, after all, been one of the most awkward moments of her life. James had been worried about Evie, no doubt. Who knew James Potter actually had a heart?

And it seemed like Evie had a big one too. She could tell, by reading the letter that Evie was, in fact, a bit like her. Did that mean that she was that caring, too? Even towards someone she absolutely detested?

A second owl flew across the hallway and landed in front of her. She snatched the letter from its beak and read-

_Lily Evans _

_Hospital Wing_

Lily tore the envelope open and retrieved an extremely small piece of parchment stuffed inside it.

_Lily,_

_Meet me at my office as soon as possible._

_-Professor Dumbledore_

_P.S- I have taken a liking to Licorice Wands._

Lily stared at the hastily written letter and realized that it was important. She stood up and wobbled slightly on her legs, but then steadied herself. She smiled suddenly. So Dumbledore knew she wouldn't leave the Hospital Wing, did he? How had he known? But then again, no one could interpret Dumbledore's mind.

She started walking down the hallway. Heaven knew she couldn't run anymore.

And then she almost collided with Remus while walking up the staircase.

"Lily!"

"Remus!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Patrols, remember? I'm supposed to be on the fourth floor today," he said. His eyes widened as he saw Lily's blood-soaked robes and her wet face. "Hey, what happened? You guys weren't there at the opening feast! Dumbledore told everyone to go to bed immediately, but I didn't know it was this bad-" he stopped as he saw tears well up in Lily's eyes.

"Lily, where's James?" he asked softly, putting his hands on her shoulders and gripping her tightly. Lily shook her head slowly.

"Remus, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll see you later, okay?" and without another word, Lily shrugged her shoulders out of Remus' grasp and sprinted up the staircase.

"Hey, wait!"

Lily didn't give him a second chance to catch up to her.

"L-Licorice Wand," she panted. A stone stairwell slid into sight, and Lily climbed as slowly as she could. She was too tired. She threw the door to Dumbledore's office open (where were her manners?) and found herself facing whom she thought was Madam Rosmerta. A Madam Rosmerta with numerous cuts across her face and who looked like she had just been 'Ennervate'ed.

"Madam Rosmerta!" Lily exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Rosmerta smiled at her.

"And-"

"Yes, the others are fine as well," came Dumbledore's voice. Lily looked around and saw Dumbledore sitting at his desk. He barely seemed to have gotten a scratch.

"Thank goodness," she said quietly.

"Lily, sit down, I need you to answer a few questions," Dumbledore said, gesturing towards a chair lying beside Madam Rosmerta's.

"R-Right now, sir?" she asked.

"Yes," he said curtly. Lily went and sat down beside Madam Rosmerta.

"Tell me everything," Dumbledore said, and Lily began telling him, well… everything. The carriage ride, Lucius, James, Bellatrix…

"Sir, can-can I say something else?" she asked as a sob escaped her mouth. She didn't know how to say this.

"Yes, go on," he said.

"Well, um, Malfoy- he said 'Sectumsempra' when he hurt James," she began. "It's just that…well…'Sectumsempra' is one of Severus' spells," as soon as she uttered the name she burst out crying. It pained her to imagine Severus going to the Dark Side. She felt Madam Rosmerta's hand on her shoulder but it didn't mean that much to her.

"Lily, that doesn't mean anything," Dumbledore said comfortingly, but Lily had a strange feeling that he was lying. "It is irrelevant,"

"M-Maybe," she stammered, but didn't believe it for a second. "Sir, can I g-go now?"

"No," he said shortly, and Lily was taken aback. "You need to hear Rosmerta's story as well,"

"Professor, I-"

"Listen to me, Lily," Dumbledore said. "I know you are hurt, and tired, but I know that if I let you go now, you will just lie awake all night wondering about why it really happened. It is better to get all the facts right before just making up false ones of your own. So I request you to please stay, and listen,"

"Yes, sir," Lily said meekly. He was probably right.

"Go on, Rosmerta," Dumbledore gestured, and Rosmerta cleared her throat.

"Well, it all started out as a normal night," she began. "The inn emptied out and I was alone, wiping glasses and tidying everything up. I was heading towards the door to put the 'closed' sign up when heard a noise outside. I thought it sounded like a punch or something. I got suspicious- what if it was a Death Eater? Hogsmeade had a very rare reputation of violence. I took my wand, to be on the safe side, and went outside to investigate. Unfortunately, I found nothing, which was weird. Because I was _sure _I had not been hallucinating, and that noise actually sounded in my ears! I thought searching a little more couldn't hurt, right? So after about ten minutes, I finally heard a muffled sort of yell coming from behind Zonko's, and I thought maybe I was right. Went I went into the alleyway behind the shop, I found Fernando there, bound and gagged,"

"Fernando was your original coachman, Lily," Dumbledore informed Lily, who nodded. "You were saying, Rosmerta?"

"Yes. So, I untied him and asked him to tell me everything," Rosmerta said. Lily was paying rapt attention. "He said that he was just on his way to the carriage when he heard some sounds behind him whispering 'Mudblood…' in a very creepy way, according to him. So anyway, he said that when he turned around he came face-to-face with a masked man, who knocked him out _physically. _Honestly, I have no idea why he didn't used a wand, but anyway, my suspicions were right- he _was_ a Death Eater. Fernando said that the next thing he knew, he was lying in some alleyway, a bundle of cloth in his mouth and his arms and legs tied. He started screaming as loud as he could for someone to help him, and then I found him, of course. After I finished interrogating him, I told him to get some sleep and to forget the whole incident, and that I would take care of it. He obeyed, and I immediately went and rounded up as many people as I could. I managed to convince Aberforth and the Honeydukes owner- sorry, I forgot his name- and they offered to help me. We sprinted all the way up to the Hogwarts grounds, where we heard yells coming from the Forbidden Forest. We wanted to inform you, Albus, but we didn't have much time. Whoever it was in the forest needed our help. It was obvious that they were trapped in there. It took us a long time to get to the Forbidden Forest from the Gates, but we did it anyway. When we reached, we saw Lily ahead of us, and she was crying. We saw James as well, and he was lying on the ground. When Lily and James left, we began to duel the Death Eaters. There were about… a dozen? It looked like Bellatrix was their leader or something."

Lily's stomach churned at the mention of Bellatrix Lestrange. Wasn't she the one who had killed James' aunt and uncle? It almost seemed like a good thing that James wasn't conscious at the time- he would probably have charged Bellatrix head-on, and would mostly have ended up hurting himself again.

"Well, then, the last thing I remember is getting a stunning spell to the head before I passed out," Rosmerta finished.

"Very well, thank you, Rosmerta," Dumbledore said. "You may leave now," Rosmerta nodded and exited the room. Lily and Dumbledore were alone now, if you didn't count the numerous portraits lining the walls who were listening as attentively as she was.

"Are you ready to listen to my side of the story?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Lily assured, and Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"It was the opening feast. I had noticed that you two had not arrived. I thought that there may have been some delay, and decided to wait. As the feast got over, however, I realized that something was wrong. I instructed everyone to go to bed immediately, other than the prefects and the teachers, of course, whom I told to patrol the corridors. Mr. Black put up quite a show, but…" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and Lily smiled. Totally Sirius-ish. "he went nonetheless. Once everyone was gone, I made my way over to the Entrance Hall, which has always been my favorite sort of… _thinking _area. My instincts were telling me to go up to the Astronomy Tower, and so I went. I found you_, _Lily, and once I told you to take James up to the Hospital Wing, I went off to the Forbidden Forest at once. I had guessed what had happened, like I always do…"

"Always?" Lily interrupted.

"Yes, most of the time," Dumbledore smiled. "Flashes of light were erupting from the trees and I could hear distant yells. I knew something was going on. When I finally reached, the Death Eaters had vanished without a trace. It seemed that they were warned of my arrival,"

"So that's all?" Lily asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes,"

"But- but- why did they come in the first place?"

"You know," Dumbledore said. "Think."

And so Lily thought… but there was nothing to think about. That was just it. The Death Eaters came, attacked, and they went away again. But then she remembered what Fernando had heard… a voice behind him whispering 'Mudblood' before he got knocked out. Was it possible…?

"Were they… after me?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"I believe so, yes," Dumbledore said bluntly.

"But… why?"

"I'm guessing that they think you are a threat to them," Dumbledore said. "They have been informed about your abilities, and know that you are probably strong enough to overpower them. I think that they are trying to get you out of their way,"

"Oh," Lily said blankly. Her mind wasn't working well at the moment.

"Either that or they want to get you on their side," Dumbledore said. "Either way works for them,"

"I'm guessing it's the first one," Lily shuddered, remembering the time when Malfoy was hexing her. He looked like he was ready to kill. "Hey, wait! So when Malfoy hurt James, he actually wanted to aim at _me?" _

"That it what I have deciphered," Dumbledore said. "He had no idea which one was you, so he turned around and fired at whichever one he _thought _was you,"

"So that's it, then?" Lily asked.

"Yes, and I just want you to be careful,"

"So I'm not banned from Hogsmeade or anything?"

"No, not now, at least,"

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Lily said, getting up. Strangely, she didn't feel scared at all. More like… _confident_.

"And Lily, you are excused from classes tomorrow,"

"But I don't want to be!" Lily said, flabbergasted. It was their N.E.W.T year, and the first day was probably the most important.

"I know you don't want to miss classes, but believe me, if you go, then you're going to wish you didn't and were back in your dorm,"

"Fine, sir," Lily sighed.

"Anything else, Lily?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes looking at her as though he expected her to ask him something.

"What's going to happen to James?" she blurted. She had wanted to ask that question ever since she had entered Dumbledore' office.

"As to that, I have no idea," Dumbledore admitted. "I suggest you sleep on it, and we'll see more tomorrow,"

Lily squirmed a bit. She didn't think she would be able to sleep on it. What if he died while she was asleep?

"You're thinking you that won't be able to sleep on it," Dumbledore sighed, and Lily nodded. "But what you have to understand is that there is nothing we can do about it right now, and the only think we can do is sleep,"

"And one more thing, sir," Lily asked, dying to ask that question which had been nagging her ever since Dumbledore had sent her that letter.

"Yes?"

"How did you know I was at the Hospital Wing?"

"Hmm…" Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "I suppose I just had a feeling,"

Lily smiled as she saw Dumbledore eyes twinkle at her.

* * *

Lily was lying on her bed in the Heads' dorm. She was alone. The sheets were so much softer than her old ones, but it didn't seem to affect her much.

It was around two in the morning, and she had been lying awake all night, thinking. She hadn't changed, and was lying on the bed in the same robes she had worn that night, which were excessively tattered and would probably have needed replacing. The flask of Sleeping Potion lay forgotten on her bedside table. She thought very, very hard.

About Bellatrix. Evie. James.

And then it hit her. It was something she hadn't realized… something she had absolutely ignored until that moment. She hadn't called James 'Potter' for a long time. She couldn't even _remember _the last time she had called him that. On the train, maybe? Yes… she could distinctively remember herself yelling at him for turning her hair blonde. But then… ever since… it had been _James, James, James _for as long as she could remember. And the one thing that horrified her to no end was that she wasn't sure whether she even wanted to call him 'Potter' anymore. Last year, he was an arrogant toerag. This year, he was…_different, _somehow. He had acted so nice towards her in the train, in Knockturn Alley, in Madam Malkin's.

And then she saw Hestia's face in front of her- smug, with bright eyes, whenever James asked her a question and she would blush.

She groped around her table for the flask and with shaking hands, swallowed the Sleeping Potion in one gulp. She figured she would need it.

Merlin help her.

* * *

Lily woke up late the next day. She stirred groggily and her eyes met the clock mounted on her wall.

It was nine in the morning.

She leapt out of bed and pulled on her muggle clothes in a flash- she would miss breakfast.

* * *

Lily walked slowly down the staircase to the Great Hall. Her hurry had been forgotten- she was dreading her entry into the Great Hall. She knew as soon as she would walk in, people would bombard her with questions, which she didn't really feel like answering. She thought about James all the way down- what would she say to everyone? Sirius? Remus?

She walked into the Great Hall, and to her surprise, no one said anything, they just turned to stare at her. Her eyes scrutinized the hall for any signs of Hestia. She finally found her, sitting beside Sirius at the Gryffindor table and chatting animatedly with him. She set off at a brisk walk (the staring was making her feel uncomfortable) and slid into the seat beside Hestia.

"Lily!"

"Hey, Hest,"

"Hi, Lily,"

"Hi, Peter,"

"Lily-Flower!"

"Black,"

"Lily,"

"Hey, Remus,"

"How come I'm the only one you call by the last name?" Sirius whined.

"I guess you're the only one I don't like," Lily said.

"But that's not fair, don't tell me you like _Wormtail!" _Sirius said in disgust, pointing at Peter's face, which turned red almost immediately.

"No offense, Black, but I like his hair much better than yours," Lily said, and Sirius just gaped at her.

"I- what-"

"Don't worry, she doesn't mean that, I _love _your hair, Sirius," Hestia patted his back, and Sirius grinned at her.

"Thanks, Jones," he said. Hestia blushed as she saw Lily's raised eyebrows.

"I, um- I meant-" she stammered.

"No, just forget it," Lily waved it off.

"Oh. My. God." Hestia gaped at her.

"What?" Lily asked, confused.

"Is your hair… BURNED?" she yelled the last word out loud, and they all jumped.

"Um… yeah, a bit, I guess," Lily said.

"MERLIN'S PANTS!" Hestia yelled. "YOU THINK I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO BE SEEN WITH A-"

"Calm down, Hest," Lily said cautiously, and the others rolled their eyes.

"I WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT CALM DOWN!" Hestia screamed. "_BURNED _HAIR, LILY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO-"

"Fine," Lily sighed, and fixed her hair with a flick of her wand. "Happy?"

"Considerably," Hestia breathed heavily, and sat down.

"Geez, you need to get a grip," Sirius muttered, and Hestia narrowed her eyes at him.

"What did you say to me?" she asked, and Sirius gulped.

"I, er- told you to, um… get a grip." he said.

"Well, Mr. Wise Guy, burned hair is considered a crime, I'll have you know!" Hestia half-yelled.

"In the world of Hestia Jones, maybe," he said, and immediately regretted it. You could literally see the steam shooting out of her ears.

"Just let it go, Hest." Lily whispered, and Hestia controlled herself. They all sat in silence for a few minutes, squirming occasionally.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened yesterday?" Hestia asked finally.

"Shut up, Dumbledore told us not to say anything!" Remus whispered furiously.

"No, it's okay," Lily said.

"Hey, where's James?" Peter asked.

"Umm…" Lily fidgeted. She wasn't sure whether Dumbledore had told them or not, and to be on the safe side, 'um' was the best she could think of.

"Merlin!" Remus clapped a head to his forehead. "It's not him, no, it can't be-" he muttered to himself.

"What is it, Moony?" Sirius asked urgently.

"I think, um… he might be in St. Mungo's!" Remus exclaimed.

"He _what?" _they all asked in unison.

"Look, I don't know, I just heard someone talking- I'm not even sure it's him!" Remus said hurriedly. But Lily didn't believe it. Who else would be hurt enough to go to St. Mungo's in one night?

"He's been transferred to St. Mungo's?" she asked Remus incredulously.

"Wait- you _know _something, Lily!" Hestia narrowed her eyes at her. "What happened to him?"

"I don't-"

"Oh no! Is Prongs going to die? Someone please tell me he's not going to die! Oh no, oh no-" Sirius blabbered.

"Shut up, Sirius," Hestia said, and Sirius shut his mouth immediately.

"Hey, how did you get to know-" Lily asked Remus, who shrugged.

"Hey, I'm on the fourth floor at night, I hear things,"

"Hey, Lily, where are you going?" Hestia asked, for Lily had gotten up suddenly.

"I'm sorry, I need to go, I'll see you guys later, okay?" she said, and caught a brief glimpse of Alice sitting with Mary at the other end of the table. She had no room for that thought in her head, though.

"Lily-Flower, don't go!" Sirius bellowed, and the Great Hall turned quiet suddenly. They all turned to look at the Gryffindor table, and Lily rolled her eyes. More of Sirius' drama. What bad timing. She decided to ignore it and walk out of the Great Hall anyway.

Bad move.

"NO! LILY!" Sirius screamed, running after her. "BUT YOU MADE A PROMISE! I AM YOUR EVERYTHING! YOUR HEART WAS EVER AT MY SERVICE, REMEMBER? OH, SAY IT'S NOT SO!"

Lily blushed profusely and stomped out of the Hall. She had done the wrong thing- now everyone would think that they were together, and had now broken up, and by this time tomorrow the whole school would be gossiping about it.

"LOVE HAPPENS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! WE _BELONG _TOGETHER, LILY! YOU ARE THE FLOWER TO MY…UM…SIRIUSNESS!"

Lily rolled her eyes. How… _bad _could he get at this?

She caught a glimpse of Hestia dragging Sirius into the Great Hall by his arm, but that made no difference to his already big mouth. Sirius' yells became more distant and distant as she took the stairs two at a time and sprinted all the way up to the seventh floor corridor, in desperate search for Dumbledore's office. She wanted to go and see him, Merlin knew why, but one thing she knew was that she absolutely _had _to find him. Once she found the stone gargoyle, she spluttered the password and ran up the staircase, hoping Dumbledore was there. She knocked on the door and heard a distinct 'come in,'' her heart leapt- she could never have been more glad that Dumbledore was, in fact, there.

"Ah, Lily," he said when he saw her. "What brings you here?"

"Sir, I was, um… wondering whether I could go to St. Mungo's?" it was a statement, but Lily asked it like a question. She was nervous; she didn't know what Dumbledore would say. To her surprise, Dumbledore smiled at her.

"So you've heard?"

"Yes, this morning,"

"Yesterday you asked me how he was doing," Dumbledore said, and Lily nodded. "It has come to my knowledge that even through the terrible state he was in last night, Madam Pomfrey managed to transfer him just in time. I have no idea how well he is doing now, though,"

"Oh," Lily said quietly.

"I suppose I could arrange something, if you would like to go visit him,"

"I would like that very much, sir," Lily said eagerly, and Dumbledore smiled.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Lily Evans was eager enough to go to meet James Potter," he said, and Lily blushed.

"Neither did I, sir,"

"All right, enough of that, follow me," Dumbledore stood up, and Lily followed suit. She watched as he picked up a dusty old wooden box from his table, and whispered, "_Portus," _before it glowed a brilliant blue and he smiled at her.

"Stay there for as long as you like, and ask for Healer Foster when you wish to leave,"

"Thanks a lot, Professor,"

"My pleasure," Dumbledore chuckled. "You might want to touch it as soon as possible; it's got ten seconds till it leaves,"

Lily put a finger to the spindly object hastily, and was almost instantly sucked into nothingness. She found her feet, a few seconds later, in between two tall wizards. She stood on tiptoe and looked around her.

She was in a reception area, an extremely crowded one at that. Her eyes met a desk, behind which a blonde lady with a permanent smile on her face was standing. She wriggled through the crowd and took her place at the end of the line in front of the desk. She had a good hour's wait before she found herself in front of the blonde witch. The first thing her eyes found was the nametag, which read 'WelcomeWitch'. She snorted. Couldn't people think of better sounding names?

"Good morning," the WelcomeWitch gave her a bright, toothy smile which made Lily absolutely sick to the stomach. "How may I help you?"

"Um…I'm looking for a James Potter?"

"Ah yes, he came in just this night… up on the fourth floor, third door on the left."

"Thank you,"

Lily made her way up to the fourth floor by the staircase, and spotted the ward she was looking for almost immediately. She stopped right outside the door and thought it over. Why was she doing this? Was there any need to? She could just walk away and save herself the trouble, but then why had she come in the first place? No, this was something she _had _to do.

She opened the door without a second thought and found herself in an extremely large ward, but James was the only one there. She saw two large white beds, each at one end of the ward. The one at the far end was empty, though. James was lying on the bed nearest to the door, apparently unconscious. But there was a difference- he wasn't unconscious like in the forest, where his pale body looked creepy with that prominent hint of red in it. Now, he was unconscious with bright color flooding his face. He looked almost like he was sleeping.

A nurse was bending over him, examining his chest wound, where now only a scar remained. His robes had been removed and replaced, and he looked as peaceful as ever. She noticed Lily standing in the doorway, and raised her eyebrows in question.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to visit the patient."

"Who's given you the permission?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore said it was okay if I came," Lily shrugged, and the nurse nodded knowledgably.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "All right then, please sit down." Lily sat down in one of the chairs in front of the bed, and looked at the nurse worriedly.

"Um… He'll be okay, right?" she asked.

"We hope so, we did whatever we could," The nurse said, looking at Lily with sympathetic eyes.

"Is he… asleep or something?"

"Sort of. He should wake in a few hours, if you're willing to wait." The nurse said, and Lily nodded furiously.

"That's fine, I can be here all day," she said, and the nurse smiled at her.

"You must be a good friend."

"No, well… not exactly…" Lily trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Um… Girlfriend, then?" the nurse asked thoughtfully, and Lily blushed deeply.

"No! No, I'm not!" she stammered. "What- what makes you think that?"

"Sorry!" the nurse said hastily. "I didn't mean to offend you, but I just kind of… guessed."

"Guessed?" Lily asked blankly.

"Yeah, well, I dunno… it's just… I think you look sort of… _adorable _together." the nurse struggled around for the right words, and stopped immediately as she saw the look on Lily's face.

"Adorable?" Lily questioned.

"I will… uh… take your leave, then," the nurse mumbled, and bustled out of the ward. Lily was left alone with James, many thoughts filling her head. _You two look adorable together? _Seriously? She didn't think anyone could look less adorable than them. She glanced at James, and tried to identify what made the nurse think they looked 'adorable'.

Sure, he was probably the most good-looking guy at Hogwarts. Him and Sirius Black. But that wasn't the point, was it? Lily had never really been drawn to his looks very much, unlike the rest of the girls in her year, who stared all googly-eyed at him twenty-four hours a day. It was probably the first time she noticed how handsome he was, with his messy hair and his lopsided glasses, which were always at the prefect angle and always made him look… untidy, yet… well…

Lily shook her head furiously, trying to rid her head of the nasty thoughts that had overcome her for a second. She couldn't believe she was almost going to call James a…

There she went again.

_What in the hell is wrong with you? _She screamed at herself inside her head. _Forget him. Think about… Page 134 in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. _

She remembered Page 134 perfectly, but couldn't bring herself to think about it. She remembered the Mandrake, but its face almost instantly morphed into James'.

Lily groaned. It wasn't going to be easy not to think about him.

_Hey! Instead of not thinking about him, why don't you think about him till it makes you hate him even more? _Lily smiled at herself as the perfect idea engulfed her mind.

So she spent the next few hours thinking about him. Again and again and again. Her plan worked perfectly, except there was one tiny bit of difference. It didn't make her hate him even more. On the contrary, it made her sort of… _like _him even more.

A low grumble issued from the bed, and Lily got up immediately. She crossed over to the bed and saw James struggling to get his eyes open.

"Ow…" he groaned.

"Hey, you okay?" Lily asked. Her heart had leapt when James had asked. Technically, he had just said 'Ow', but that was good enough for her.

"Who- wha-" James grumbled, half-asleep. He seemed to notice Lily's bright green eyes through his half-closed eyelids, bending over him, and his eyes flickered open immediately.

"Evans?" he asked, suddenly wide awake.

"Hey, Ja-Potter," she said hastily. She couldn't let James know that she hadn't called him by his last name in a long time- what would he think of her? But, for the first time, saying his last name just didn't sound right anymore.

"What are you doing here? Am I in a _bed? _What are you doing _standing over_ my bed? Wait, where am in the first place? And why can't I feel my stomach anymore? I mean, not in _that _way, no but in that way too, but I literally can't feel my stomach anymore, what in the name of -OW!" he yelled suddenly, as he attempted to sit up and ended up clutching his chest in pain and flopping down on the bed again.

"Whoa, maybe it'd be a better idea if you just don't get up for a while, okay?" Lily said cautiously. James tilted his head up slightly in order to gaze at the scar on his chest, and his eyes widened in horror. He opened his mouth, but Lily cut him across.

"Don't scream," she advised.

"I'll try," he gulped.

"So, um- do you remember?" she asked finally.

"Remember what? Oh, the carriage ride… a bit, yeah," he noticed Lily squirming slightly. "Hey- what exactly _happened _to me? Wait…_am I in St. Mungo's?"_ he asked, staring at his surroundings.

"Yes," Lily replied.

"Okay, so now I'm scared," he said in a frightened way.

"Don't be," Lily said comfortingly. "It looks like you're all good,"

"That's great," he sighed.

"Yeah," she said. They sat in silence for a few minutes. The nurse was nowhere to be seen; no doubt she thought that whatever she had said upset Lily and was afraid to come back again.

"So… did you come just to get a glimpse of me shirtless?" James smirked, and she blushed.

"As if," she rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, but I'm not the one blushing here," he said, pointing at her cheeks.

"Right," Lily said. That was all she could think of saying. _Damn! _She should have said something more witty- James would think she was losing her touch. Wait- was she _actually _losing her touch? It looked like it. Nowadays she wasn't able to think of any good comebacks to James' comments.

_No! No, no no! _she tried to argue with herself. _Why can't I do this anymore? Curse that arrogant little-_

She was brought back from her reverie when she noticed a weight on her arm. She looked downwards and found James' hand sitting on her forearm, and noticed his eyes having a guilty sort of look in them.

"Look, I'm sorry…" he trailed off nervously. Lily could tell that it wasn't easy for him to say this.

"What for?" she asked, surprised.

"For not listening to you. In the carriage ride, I remember… you said something was wrong and I was just too full of myself to listen to you. I'm sorry!"

Lily just looked at him in surprise. Yep. She had just proven herself right. James _had _changed. And by changed, she meant changed _a lot. _Last year's James Potter thought himself to be the master. The king. The best. He was never too stupid, the others (like her) were just too smart. And now… seeing him taking the blame for something completely unnecessary… it took Lily _completely _by surprise.

She used to think that James asked her out only to prove to everyone that he could get any girl for himself. But maybe what he felt was real after all. Maybe she just saw the one small side of him which was arrogant, while everyone else was familiar with his… _good _side? Maybe, for all these years, she was looking past all of his good qualities so indifferently that the only thing that she saw was the part which she thought was bad? Maybe when he had asked her out all those times, it was for real?

Lily was glad, for once, that she was alone with him. If anyone else were around, she didn't think she would be able to say what she wanted to say at the moment. If she went back a few years and told herself what she was going to say, then she could only imagine the look on her face- blank eyes, gaping mouth, no movement whatsoever as she tried to register the enormity of the situation. And yes, then she would probably break out screaming.

When she first had that urge, in the Great Hall that morning, to go and visit James, she wondered why exactly she chose to follow that urge. She just did, without any second thought about it. She could still remember the way she sprinted up to Dumbledore's office, without thinking twice and doing it anyway. At first, she wondered _why _on earth she wanted to come to St. Mungo's in the first place, but then it hit her, at that split second when James uttered the words 'I'm sorry' to her.

"No, it's okay," she shrugged it off, feeling those familiar butterflies flutter around in her stomach.

"But I-"

"Um… I want to say something," Lily blurted out. She couldn't hold it in any longer. The quicker she did it, the faster she would be rid of those cursed butterflies. The sooner the better, she thought.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"James," she said breathlessly _._It felt so good to _finally _be able to use his first name. She looked to see whether James had noticed that she had used his first name or not. Sure enough, his eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't say anything. Good move. It was easier for Lily to go on knowing that he hadn't, and wouldn't, interrupt.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Just- just call me Lily,"

* * *

**Okay, so exam time is on. :(**

**I won't be able to update for a few weeks, but I hope you guys keep in touch anyway!**

**I'll try to update on the 13th of April, just as soon as the exams are over. Sorry about this, but I really need to study now, but I'll try my best to keep writing anyway. **


	7. Back to Normal

**Okay, sorry about the long break in between. I had my exams and couldn't update... but now since our vacations have started I might be able to update faster!**

**And sorry if this chapter might seem a bit rushed or something. I really wrote it in a hurry...**

**NOTE: Towards the end of the chapter, when the Marauders enter the Charms classroom, there are different scenes happening at the same time. Each scene ends with Flitwick coming in the classroom. In total, there are four scenes- Lily-James, Alice-Hestia, Remus-Mary, and Sirius-Peter. All of them are equally important, so I'm sorry if it might seem a bit confusing! (As soon as Flitwick enters at the end of each scene, it changes. Sort of like a flashback to the beginning of the class, except for a different pair of people) Hopefully its not too confusing...!**

* * *

A whole week had passed since the incident in the Forbidden Forest. Everything was back to normal… almost. James still hadn't come back from St. Mungo's yet. Lily had told Hestia everything as soon as she had gotten back, and was getting tired of Hestia's continuous nagging of 'James and Lily sittin' in a tree- K-I-S-S-I-N-G' and other embarrassing stuff like that. Hestia seemed to be sure that deep down somewhere, Lily was in _luuuurve _with James Potter, and she was sure that they would get together that year.

Lily didn't think that, of course. She would _never ever _date James Potter. Never in a million years. In fact, if she were given a choice between the giant squid and James, she would choose the giant squid…. maybe.

No one really knew what happened except her and Hestia. And she was sure she wouldn't tell anyone, ever. She shuddered each time she remembered what she had done in the Forbidden Forest- she had actually _kissed _James on the cheek. That was so embarrassing that even Hestia didn't know about it.

On her first day back, she didn't miss as much as she thought she would have. The only thing that made her wish that she had actually one for classes was that she would have to partner James in Charms. For the _whole _year. Apparently, they had a project to work on in Charms, and since both James and Lily weren't present that day, they had been _paired up, _according to Hestia (who had winked when she told her, and made Lily blush).

Lily had to go for patrol duties almost every night now, because of the increased security at Hogwarts. The good thing was, they all had to keep switching patrol partners. Lily was glad of this, because she definitely _did not _want to be stuck with Mary MacDonald. Or Amos Diggory too, for that matter. Both of them were equally annoying. It was most pleasant patrolling with Remus, who was, by far, easiest to talk to.

Things had pretty much disintegrated between her and Severus. She couldn't even bring herself to remember their brief meeting in the Great Hall the day after she had returned to Hogwarts after visiting James in St. Mungo's…

She had walked into the Great Hall that morning and taken her usual seat beside Hestia. No one else was around, though, except Alice, who was sitting beside her and talking until the moment when Lily sat down. Alice looked away hastily and began talking to Mary, who was sitting at her other side. Hestia looked at Alice with a perplexed look on her face before she turned to Lily.

"Gosh, you nearly gave me a heart attack with your burnt hair yesterday," she shuddered, trying not to act as if she was hurt by Alice's reaction. "Good thing I got it fixed."

"Yeah, good thing." Lily rolled her eyes and grabbed a piece of toast.

"Don't tell me you like burnt hair!" Hestia widened her eyes.

"Of course not!" Lily said. "But the way you would get a 'heart attack'…" Hestia snorted and decided to ignore it.

"Hello, ladies," Sirius squeezed himself between Hestia and Alice.

"Hey, Jerk!" Hestia waved.

"Hey, Twat!" Sirius waved back. Both of them turned to look at Lily, who had her eyebrows raised, before they burst out laughing.

"Don't ask what's with the 'Jerk' and 'Twat'," Remus said breathlessly, sitting down opposite Lily.

"Um…" Lily trailed off.

"That's what we call each other so people don't think we're dating," Hestia said.

"You are dating SIRIUS BLACK?" Lily yelled.

"Way to go, Lily," Hestia rolled her eyes as the entire hall broke out in whispers and some girls actually started crying hysterically.

"What is _wrong _with you?" Lily said in a loud whisper.

"You just insulted me, Flower," Sirius frowned at her while stuffing his face with every edible thing within his grasp. They all winced at his lack of manners, and Hestia actually smacked the back of his head. "What?" he asked.

"Like I didn't mean to." Lily smirked.

"Lily!" Remus whispered furiously.

"Yeah?"

"Roberto approaching, nine o' clock."

"Should we run?" Sirius asked desperately.

"Who's Roberto?" Lily asked blankly. She didn't recall ever hearing that name.

"Lily?"

Lily turned around and saw Snape standing in front of her. Her pure hatred for him restricted herself from erupting in laughter at the name 'Roberto'. She would have to congratulate the person who had thought of that classic name for him- it would ninety- nine percent have to be Sirius.

"Get lost," she said scornfully.

"Please," he pleaded. "Can I talk to you?"

"No 'Roberto' deserves to talk to Lily-Flower." Sirius snarled at Snape, who just adopted a blank look.

"Huh?" he said.

"Just stay out of this," Lily said to Sirius, who turned his back to her and faced Remus, who looked like he was going to have his head explode, he was trying to suppress his laughter that hard. Sirius and Hestia caught the laughter disease too, and soon all three of them were biting their tongues in an effort to not burst out laughing. Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to Snape.

"He's right. You don't deserve to talk to me." She stood up and looked down at him.

"But I just want to know if you're all right!"

"THAT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM ANYMORE!" she yelled, and the whole hall went quiet. Even Sirius, Remus, and Hestia stopped laughing and looked at them, concerned. And how _dare _he say that to her? After she had made it very clear last time how little she wanted to talk to him?

Snape looked around nervously, but didn't budge. He obviously didn't want to create a scene, but he also didn't want to be coward enough to run away.

"Lily, I just want to know what happened two days ago!"

"Oh!" she scoffed. "So you're more concerned about how your precious master's plan went?"

"What- What are you talking about?" he asked, bewildered.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" she shrieked, and he jumped. "MALFOY USED _YOUR _SPELL, SEVERUS! YOU THINK I HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THAT YOU WORK FOR VOLDEMORT?" the entire hall gasped, but didn't say a word.

"But I don't!" Snape tried to defend himself, but his guilty eyes gave him away.

"LIES!" Lily cried. "ALL YOU CAN DO IS _LIE, _SEVERUS!"

"I'M NOT LYING!" he yelled back. Lily didn't flinch.

"Albus, aren't we supposed to break this up?" McGonagall muttered to Dumbledore, who just smiled.

"No," he replied.

"But-"

"Wait, Minerva," he said. McGonagall was astonished to see Dumbledore's eyes have that familiar, mischievous glint in them. She sighed.

"Fine,"

"LIKE YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT!" Lily screamed at Snape.

"I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

"WHAT ABOUT JAMES?" she yelled, and everyone's eyes widened as they realized she had used his first name. Lily ignored them. "_HE _WAS THE ONE WHO CAUGHT YOUR SPELL, SEVERUS! AND YOU DON'T FEEL ANYTHING ABOUT THAT?"

"OH! SO IT'S _'JAMES', _NOW?"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"BUT YOU HATE HIM!"

"WHAT IF I DON'T ANYMORE?" Lily couldn't be more oblivious to the fact that hundreds of people around her had gasped and had started to whisper. She didn't care very much as she saw the blank look overcome Snape's expression. She felt a smirk creep up her face but didn't seem to realize that she was blushing.

"Lily?"

She turned to look at Hestia, who was looking at her with wide eyes, and Sirius and Remus, who were too shocked enough to say anything. She didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, though, so she snatched her book bag off the table in anger and made to walk away immediately.

"I hope you go to hell." She muttered in Snape's ear, before she stomped angrily out of the Great Hall, absolutely seething with anger and embarrassment.

Which was why, when she looked back a week later, she was glad she had bought a diary on the way home from St. Mungo's. At first, she wondered _why _on Earth she had done it. She had never liked writing in diaries- the word 'diary' itself made her sick to the stomach. But she had bought one anyway, not a wizard one, but a muggle one, to remind her of home.

She could still remember that day's diary entry…

* * *

_September 3_

_First of all, I bought a diary yesterday. I haven't told Hestia, and I don't intend to. Ever. Beats me why I bought one in the first place. But I need someone to talk to right now, and since I can't look anyone in the eye without crying, I guess you'll have to do. _

_ I'm a complete doofus. I just yelled at Severus (he is now' Roberto', according to Sirius and the others. They think they should have a code-name for him. One which sounded stupid and yet awesome. What idiots. But then again, they are the Marauders). AGAIN. What in the world is wrong with me? Well, yes, that asshole is just so full of crap that I feel like smacking him each time we come within ten feet of each other. But why does he have to be this way? To tick me off at the times when I least expect it? To make me so angry that I don't even know what words come spilling out of my mouth when I'm yelling at him?_

_ Which brings me to the main point- why on earth did I tell him I didn't hate James Potter? Sure, it felt good to see him so taken aback when I said it, but now I totally regret it. AAARGH! Hestia is going to tease me so much now! And it's all because of a slip of the tongue. And I do hate James. A lot. So much that I can't even bear to see him to that 'hand-running' thing to his hair one more lousy time. _

_ Okay, so now that I've said I hate James Potter, I'm having second thoughts. NO! What am I doing? Do I actually like James Potter? No I don't. Of course I do- I asked him to call me Lily. Why would I do that if I didn't want to be friends with him?_

_ MERLIN!_

_ I think I'm going to go and puke now. _

_ I might need to write in this thing a lot more times than I had hoped. _

_Later,_

_Lily._

* * *

So after a week full of teasing, insults, and taunts, Lily walked into the Great Hall on Monday morning and found a surprise waiting for her.

"_James?" _she asked incredulously, sliding into the seat beside Remus. James who was sitting opposite her, grinned. He looked as good as ever, and didn't look as though he had ever been hurt at all.

"Hey," he waved.

"So you're back?" Hestia, who had just entered the Great Hall, asked before sitting down next to him.

"Good as new," he said.

"PRONGS!" Sirius screamed, hugging James from behind. James, caught completely off guard, lurched forward and his head just about missed his glass of pumpkin juice.

"_Watch it, _Padfoot!" he spluttered, pushing Sirius off him.

"But I missed you so much!" Sirius sniffled, taking the seat beside him.

"You okay, Potter?" James turned around, and found more than half the population gathered in one big group behind him.

"What the-" he began, but was cut off as people started asking him questions all at once.

"I _hooooope _you're not hurt, James!"

"So, what was St. Mungo's like?"

"Did you shag Hot Healer Foster yet?"

"I love you, James!"

"How much blood did you lose?"

"I've heard Lily kissed you in the forest! Is it true?"

"How did it feel?"

"Just don't bleed out on my brand new robes, Potter."

"Do you have a sample of your blood I could keep as a souvenir?"

"Tell us what happened!"

"Did you _actually _snog a Thestral?"

"SHUT UP!" James yelled suddenly, making everyone jump. "JUST SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" his cheeks went red with anger as he yelled at the crowd behind him, making his friends grin at each other.

"LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU HEAR?" he bellowed over his shoulder.

"But what about the blood sample?"

The fifth-year Ravenclaw who had asked the question cowered under the furious look James gave her, and turned around and walked away instantly. The crowd slowly thinned out as people meekly went back to their respective tables.

"Poor Anna," Sirius said sadly. "You mad her cry, Prongs! She only wanted a blood sample." James just snorted at him.

"She had it coming." He said, and the others laughed.

"Potter!"

James turned around and found himself face to face with McGonagall, who handed a time- table out to him.

"Thanks, Professor." He said, sliding it under his glass of pumpkin juice. McGonagall squirmed a little, as if unsure of what to say.

"Is it my presence that's making you so squeamish, darling?" Sirius puckered his lips at her, and she looked at him in distaste. The rest of the Marauders had gotten quite used to him hitting on McGonagall, though, since he did it a thousand times every day, but Lily and Hestia weren't very much aware of it. Both of them just widened their eyes at him. McGonagall just ignored him.

"How are you feeling, Potter?" she asked finally.

"Fine, thanks," he mumbled. He really did hate everyone treating him like something fragile that might blow up any second. It was okay the first one or two times, but it seemed like every time he got out into the halls people would start asking him the same thing every five seconds.

"All right, then." MGonagall said curtly. "And, as you can see, Potter, Gryffindor hasn't hoisted the Quidditch Cup for five _consecutive _years now, I suggest you hold the tryouts as soon as possible." As soon as she said this, she looked at Professor Slughorn, head of the Slytherins, in absolute loathe.

James was the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and had been assigned the post only last year. They had lost by twenty points last year, but he was determined to do better this year. It was, after all, his last year at Hogwarts and he wanted it to be worth it.

"Sure." He said. Two of his teammates had graduated last year, so he needed to find some new ones. "I was thinking this Saturday, maybe?"

"Perfect." McGonagall said, clapping her hands together. "I really need to wipe that smirk off Slughorn's face…" she muttered under her breath, walking away from them towards the teachers' table.

"That's mean." Lily said finally, looking in McGonagall's direction.

"Hey, I don't blame her… that smile of his would want to make anyone puke." Hestia shuddered.

"I guess you're right." Lily gave in. Slughorn's smile really was quite annoying.

"Ah, look!" James exclaimed, looking at his time-table. "We have the first period free- that's wonderful!"

"For you, maybe." Remus groaned. "Peter and I have Arithmancy."

"Where _is _Peter, anyway?" Lily asked curiously.

"Dunno." Sirius said indifferently.

"He vanishes a lot, lately." Remus said thoughtfully.

"To put it in his words, he has his 'business' to do." Sirius grinned mischievously.

"Ew, Padfoot, that's gross!" James wrinkled his nose, and the others covered their eyes in disgust. Sirius suddenly looked at him with wide eyes.

"What?" James asked uncertainly. Sirius' crazy stare was started to creep him out.

"_You snogged a Thestral?" _he grinned, and James' mouth dropped open.

"Aah! No!" he stammered. "I didn't, did I?" he turned to look at Lily, and everyone laughed.

"No," she shook her head, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." He said quietly.

"One more thing…" Remus trailed off, his thumb and forefinger massaging his chin as he thought. "You _kissed _him in the forest, Lily?" Hestia smirked as she blushed.

"Bunch of lies," Lily mumbled. Seriously, where was everyone getting these rumors from?

"I wish I could have seen it all," James sighed to the ceiling. "It sounded awesome."

"Oh?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"No, I mean not the part where I fell out of the carriage… the rest of it." James said hastily.

"You mean the part where I kissed you." Lily rolled her eyes.

"So you did?" Hestia asked eagerly.

"Absolutely not!" Lily replied firmly.

"Yes, Lily, we all believe that." Sirius said sarcastically.

"Hey, we have our own dorm now, right?" James asked Lily suddenly. "I want to see how much better it is than our old one. You think you could show me?"

"Gladly," Lily said gratefully. She was glad James was giving her a chance to change the subject. She stood up, and James followed suit.

"Of course you're glad." Hestia winked at her, and she blushed slightly but otherwise didn't flinch.

"Bye Hest!" she just ignored the comment and waved. "Bye Sirius, Remus." She turned around to make her way out of the hall when Sirius called her name.

"Lily-Flower…" he said slowly. Lily turned around. "You just said my first name!"

"Yeah. So?" she shrugged.

"So you've never said my first name before!"

"Well, if he's 'James' then you have to be 'Sirius;. Besides, I need to get used to you dating Hestia anyways."

"Good catch, Pads." James winked, and Sirius grinned.

"Good catch?" Hestia rolled her eyes.

"The best." He said, leaning down to kiss her.

"Aah! Merlin save our precious eyes!" Remus yelled, covering his eyes with his hands as Lily and James practically bolted out of the Great Hall.

"Just in time." James breathed.

"For you, maybe," Lily panted. "I caught the full force of it."

"It's called reflex." James smirked and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Come on, the dorm is up on the seventh floor." She started to climb the moving staircase, James right behind her.

They walked all the way up to the seventh floor, Lily filling him in on what they had done in classes all week. James found himself paying attention to every word she said, which was astonishing, since he didn't usually care about how many beetle's eyes you have to add to a potion that cures the effects of Veritaserum.

"So I have to partner you in Charms?" James asked as they stepped up onto the seventh floor corridor.

"Yeah."

"Can't wait," he grinned.

"Like I couldn't figure that out." She rolled her eyes.

"So… where's the Heads' Dorm?" he asked, and she led him towards the far end of the corridor.

"Over here." They were in front of a door, not twenty feet away from the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Hm…" James said, eying the door curiously. "I've always wondered what was behind this door. Does it need a password?"

"Yeah," Lily kneeled down in front of the doorknob and said in a loud voice, "Chelidonium Miniscula." The doorknob twisted itself and the door bounced open, revealing a plush common room.

"Wow," James whispered as he took his first steps inside, shutting the door behind him and Lily.

They were in a common room, almost exactly like the Gryffindor one except smaller, and… _comfier. _There were two stairwells on either end of the room, one leading to James' bedroom and one leading to Lily's. There was a door at the far end of the room, leading to their joint bathroom.

"Nice," James said breathlessly, sinking into an armchair.

"Well, since we have a free period right now, we can stay here for as long as we want." Lily said, looking at her watch.

"Great, because I want to snuggle and die in this armchair." He sighed, and Lily snorted.

"Quit the sarcasm, I need to show you around." She said.

"What?" he shrugged. "There's your bedroom, and my bedroom, and the bathroom. What else do I need to see?"

"You have a point." Lily said, and collapsed on the sofa in front of the fireplace. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Well, I guess I'll just go have a shower." Lily said, getting up and making her way towards the bathroom. She summoned her clothes from her room with a flick of her wand and had her hand on the bathroom door, when James called out to her.

"Talk about lazy." He snorted.

"You've got me." Lily said.

"Okay, I guess I'll just go and sort my room out, then."

"I thought you said that didn't really matter?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Well, what am I supposed to do, then?" he shrugged. "Unless you want me to _watch _you have a shower," he added, grinning at her.

"I have my wand right here with me, in case you haven't noticed." She said threateningly, while blushing at the same time.

"Ouch, my bad." He said. "Anyway, you never said no to that shower."

Lily blushed deeper than ever as opened the door and slammed it behind her before she could have the chance to say anything. Honestly, the nerve of that guy. She hardly thought anything he said could surprise her, after everything he had done to her for the past few years. But she had never blushed at his words before, her stomach never flipped over before. She shook her head, trying to ignore that dark feeling inside her stomach, and turned to grab a towel from the rack in front of her.

* * *

James stood at the top of the stairwell for a while, thinking. After what seemed like forever, he took a deep breath and started climbing down. He would have to play this right.

As soon as his foot found the solid ground of the common room, his eyes searched around for Lily, and found her sitting on the sofa staring at the ashes in the fireplace in front of her.

"Hey," He called. Lily started- she didn't know he was there.

"Hey!" she called back.

"So… what were you doing?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and walking towards her.

"Nothing." She lied. In truth, she had been thinking about him for the last ten minutes, ever since she had come out of the shower, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"You mind if I sit?" he asked, pointing to the seat beside her. She hesitated for a bit, but then gave in.

"No." she said, and James sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Either of them wanted to say something, but didn't know how to.

"So, um…" James trailed off. Lily felt a sense of relief brush her insides. So he wanted to say something too! She would rather he be first than her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Remus told me what happened in the Great Hall," he began nervously. Lily's stomach dropped. She couldn't run away now. She was alone with him. He would just have to say the word and she would be forced to answer. "Between you and Snape."

And she had hoped that would remain a secret from him for as long as possible. Ha! How could she have been so stupid? Of course someone will have told him about it. It _did _partly concern him, after all.

"Oh." She said shortly. She decided to keep to the safe side.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up like that!" he said hastily. "It's just… what Remus told me about… it wasn't you. Saying you don't hate me."

"I guess so," Lily let out a hollow laugh. "But you see… Severus really drove me mad. When I'm angry like that I say stuff I don't mean to…"

"Okay," he said, the happy feeling in his stomach subsiding slightly. He tried to fight to fight the frown that was threatening to break out on his face, but wasn't very successful. Lily noticed this, and struggled not to adopt a pitiful expression. She should have been angry at him, but she wasn't angry even a bit. "And in the forest…"

"I _didn't _kiss you." Lily finished his sentence impatiently. Seriously, how many times would she have to say it?

James looked into Lily's eyes and saw right through the lie she was telling, and felt more elated than ever. He would never know for sure, of course, but those eyes of hers were more than enough to them him all that he needed to know. He fought a grin, and didn't say anything for the next few seconds.

Lily felt guilty. Guilty about many things. Guilty about not telling James about Bellatrix, and how she was there in the forest that night. Guilty about keeping Evie's letter from James. Why didn't she feel like showing it to him? It was his, after all. She remembered what Evie had written… _Please reply so I know you're okay…_ and he didn't reply. What would Evie think? Could she be responsible if something happened between Evie and James?

"I need to show you something." She said finally, pulling the crumpled piece of parchment out of her pocket.

"What's that?" he inquired. Lily didn't reply, and instead just stuffed it into his hand. He smoothed the paper and began to read. Lily saw his eyes slowly fill up with tears as his eyes slowly moved towards the bottom of the parchment.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." He replied, keeping his letter down and wiping his eyes with his hand. Turns out he was just as bad at lying as she was.

"No, it _is _something." She insisted. "Tell me, James."

"Well, nothing important, really…" he stammered. "It's just… when I was in St. Mungo's… Mum, Dad, and Evie would come over every day to make sure I was okay… you _do _know who Evie is, don't you?"

"Yeah," she assured him, and for some weird reason, he felt like smiling. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she had actually read the letter.

"If you read the letter, then you know what sort of a person she is…"

"Yeah." Lily said uncertainly.

"Well, she would come in the morning, dot on at six o' clock each day, and wouldn't leave until it was exactly nine o' clock at night," he smiled at the thought, and Lily smiled too. "And you know, she has really weird ways of cheering me up. Sometimes she would tell me in what way she beat Dad at chess, or tell me things about what she did with Toto at home… it was wonderful, having her there. It's actually _never _not wonderful when you have Evie with you."

Lily just looked at him with tearful eyes. Evie seemed so… pure.

"It must have felt good to have someone so close to you." She said quietly. Ever since her father had died, she had lost whatever connection she had had with her family. Sure, her mother was always there for her, but Petunia…

"The good thing about Evie is… she doesn't hesitate to tell you things, no matter how weird they might be," James continued. "You have no idea how many times a day she tells me she loves me… or won't ever leave me… and I love her too. _So _much. But sometimes I think I'm doing a poor job of trying to prove that to her."

"She knows, James." Lily said quietly. "Even though it might not feel like it."

He turned to look at her, and felt as if his stomach had dropped fifty feet. The sunlight had illuminated her face, and her green eyes became more visible than ever as her tears made them twinkle brightly. He had poured his heart out to her, and she had comforted him for once. As soon as he saw her he had fallen in love with that red hair of hers, those astonishingly green, almond-shaped eyes and that personality which he had never seemed to find in anybody else. And he needed to tell that to her.

"Lily," he scooted slightly closer, but not too close so as to not make her feel uncomfortable. She just looked at him uncertainly.

"James?" she asked as he edged a bit closer. She was starting to feel a bit weird, but held her ground all the same. She looked up into his eyes, which were looking down at her in that typical James look. She eyed his glasses, which were placed in the usual precarious position and which were casting gold flakes into those hazel eyes of his, and felt her whole body go limp.

James was pleased to see her reaction and decided to go on with it. Last year, she probably would have hexed him or smacked him or yelled at him. But she had changed as much as he had. He had never felt more nervous in his life. He fidgeted a bit, and Lily's fingers twitched automatically.

"I just-" he began, but was cut off by Hestia, who had just entered the room and had screamed at the top of her lungs.

"LILY! TRANSFIGURATION!" she yelled, and made both Lily and James jump. "Oh, sorry…" she added when she noticed Lily and James sitting together. "I thought you were…." She turned around to walk out but was stopped by Lily, who had just jumped up off her seat. She seemed to realize what she was about to do, and blushed slightly. She was so breath taken by James' approach that she was too shocked enough to say anything, but Hestia's entry seemed to snap her back to reality.

"No, Hest, wait!" she said breathlessly, standing up and running towards the door. Hestia stopped in her tracks and turned to grin at her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm- I'm coming with you," Lily said. "Bye, James."

"Yeah, bye, Lily." He sighed as Lily shut the door behind her and a dead silence dropped in the room. He groaned and cupped his head in his hands. He was so close! He had almost done it, and then Hestia had to come along. If only she had come a bit sooner! But then, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe he had to wait a little longer.

He stood up, grabbed his book bag, and followed Lily out the door. He would wait until the right moment.

* * *

"Wow! Sweet dorm." Remus said impressively, walking into the Heads' dorm, the rest of the Marauders behind him.

"Are you sure Lily wouldn't mind that you told us the password?" Peter asked nervously.

"Nah, I doubt it." James shrugged. "Hestia knows it too. Whoa!" he added as Sirius darted past him and literally jumped onto the sofa.

"Great. I'm labeling _this _as my snog sofa." He said hugging one of the squashy pillows. James and Remus rolled their eyes.

"Over my dead body." James said.

"_Why not?" _Sirius whined. "It's so soft… and so comfy… and so perfect!"

"My point exactly." James sat down next to him.

"NO!" Sirius yelled suddenly, and they all jumped. "NOT MY SOFA! GET OFF MY SOFA!" he shouted, shoving James off and lying down on it, so there wasn't any space for anyone else to sit.

"It's still not your sofa." James said, sinking into the armchair.

"Right, I forgot the 'reserved' sign." Sirius said.

"What 'reserved' sign?" Remus asked.

"The one that says, 'Flower and Prongs, Forever and Ever,'" he winked, and James flushed.

"No way." He mumbled. "If I wanted to snog her I wouldn't choose the sofa."

"Yeah, I guess the window seat's better," Remus pointed at the window behind them. "That way everyone on the ground can register your success."

"Hey! I didn't think of that." James said thoughtfully. "Great idea though, thanks, Moony."

"My pleasure."

"Does that mean the sofa's mine?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"If you would enjoy me ripping your head off, then yeah." James said.

"You couldn't rip my head off if you tried."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Um, excuse me, guys," Peter cleared his throat nervously. "But as long as Lily's still at lunch, shouldn't we get on with our talk?"

"He's right." Remus said. "Huddle in, guys." All of them leaned in closer to each other and their voices sank to a whisper.

"So it's a werewolf night tonight?" Peter asked.

"Apparently." James replied.

"James, you sure you're up for it?" Remus asked James in a slightly worried way.

"Honestly, Moony?" James rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone think I'm a weakling?"

"Okay. Fine, then," Remus said. "Anyway, you need to be careful, I think Lily stays up at night studying,"he warned, and James groaned.

"Great, how am I going to get out of that?" he asked.

"I don't know, just think of some excuse," Remus said impatiently. "Everyone else, according to plan?"

"Yeah." Sirius and Peter said in unison.

"And so then-"

They all turned to face the door, where they saw a giggling Hestia and Lily walk in and freeze when they saw them. And to everyone's surprise, even hers, Lily blushed when she saw James.

It had been the first time since she had stepped in the dorm since hers and James' 'private moment' in the morning. She couldn't believe she hadn't hurt him or something when he had done that to her, like she would have done a few months ago. She hadn't told Hestia about it and hoped that James hadn't told his friends either. Neither of them mentioned it to each other for the whole day, and it might not have even happened. But it did, and no one could change that.

She threw a questioning look at him, and he shook his head so slightly that it was almost unnoticeable. No one noticed their silent conversation, thankfully, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that he hadn't told anyone.

"We have Charms next, don't be late." She said coldly, crossing the room and grabbing her Charms book from her desk.

"I doubt Prongs'll be, he has to partner you, remember?" Sirius said, and they both blushed.

"I'm thrilled." Lily said shortly, gripping Hestia's arm and steering her out of the room.

"I'VE CALLED THIS AS OUR SNOG SOFA, TWAT!" Sirius yelled after her.

"GOOD FOR YOU, JERK!" came Hestia's faint voice from out in the hallway. Sirius' jaw dropped and the others laughed.

"Guess she's not as enthusiastic as you are, Padfoot." Remus snorted.

"Should I break up with her?" Sirius asked.

"Whatever you say, Pads." James clapped him on the back. "Just remember me saying 'good catch'." They all stood up and made their way towards the door.

"Fine, I won't, then," Sirius sighed. "But she'll have to improve."

"Yeah, keep on believing that." James rolled his eyes.

"Could anyone tell me why Lily was blushing back there?" Remus asked thoughtfully.

"No idea," James tried to act indifferent, but his face gave him away.

"Sure you don't." Sirius winked.

"Okay, what do you think I did _now?" _James sighed exasperatedly. Why did his friends always have to jump to conclusions?

"So you _did _do something!" Remus exclaimed.

"Okay, one thing- whatever happens beyond that door is none of your business, okay?" James blurted. He didn't mean to sound so rude, but he couldn't help it. Remus and Sirius looked taken aback and didn't say anything. "Charms classroom," he said quietly, pushing the door to the classroom open. Remus and Sirius kept their mouths shut, obviously realizing that James didn't want to talk about it. Everyone was already seated in their places. James' searched around for Lily, and once he found her sitting at a table near to Flitwick's desk, he weaved his way through the desks towards her with a grin on his face. He sat down beside her, and she started. She hadn't heard him approach. She was too busy watching Alice and Hestia, who were sitting at the desk beside her, talk to each other.

"Hey!" James said, and caught a momentary glance at Lily's face, which looked sort of angry, before she smile weakly at him.

"Hey," she said through gritted teeth.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Everything." She blurted. She immediately wished that she hadn't said that, but it was true- _everything _was going wrong for her. She had lost Alice, who was to be partnering Hestia in Charms. What if Hestia became better friends with Alice than with her? And then there was the Snape issue… she hardly felt that they would ever be able to look each other in the eye again, after what happened in the Great Hall. She was losing control over herself. She didn't think that she would be able to put up with it for much longer. Maybe that was why she didn't tell James off for doing that to her in the morning?

"What do you mean, everything?" James asked. He hadn't expected her to say that. He had expected her to say 'Nothing' or 'Mind your own business'. She had never opened her heart to him, not even a fraction of it before.

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to say that." She said hastily. She definitely was _not _going to tell him any of her problems.

"I know- mind my own business, right?" he gave a small smile, and she smiled back.

"I think that would be better for the both of us." She said, and he nodded.

"Sure." He turned around and found Sirius sitting a couple of desks behind him, a very disgruntled look on his face and a perplexed Peter sitting next to him. He laughed, and Lily turned around to see what he was laughing at. She saw Sirius and Peter, and giggled too. Sirius threw a dirty look at them both, and folded his arms tightly.

"Poor Padfoot," James shook his head. He knew that Sirius didn't like Peter very much, and being made to partner him might be some experience. "Wonder who Moony's partner is." Lily jerked her thumb to her left, and James turned to see Remus sitting with Mary MacDonald. Both of them were talking, and Remus looked like he was under a lot of pressure.

"He looks nervous," James said. "I wonder why?"

"No idea." Lily shrugged.

"Hmm.." James said thoughtfully. "Maybe she likes him?" Lily just stared.

"Merlin, you can't be _that _naïve, could you?" she asked incredulously.

"What?" he asked.

"She doesn't like Remus! She's been head over heels for _you _for the past year and a half!"

"Really? I never really noticed it."

"You wouldn't." she snorted.

"You think she would…?" James began, but Lily cut him across.

"Don't even think about it." She snapped, and James jumped slightly.

"Um…" he raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me, you don't know what sort of a person she is," Lily rolled her eyes. "Acts real nice in the beginning, and then just when you're about to trust her completely, she ditches you." She said bitterly.

"Is that what she did to you?" James asked softly. He vaguely knew about Lily and Mary and that somehow, the previous year, they had suddenly stopped talking. Come to think of it, that was sometime around when Lily said she had started to like him. That would need some looking into. And he had no idea that Lily was so uptight about the whole thing.

"More or less," Lily replied uncertainly. There she went again- _why _was she telling James about herself? She would have to stop it.

"Okay." James said. He wouldn't do it if Lily didn't want him to.

"Mr. Potter, good to have you back!" Flitwick's voice echoed off the walls as he entered the classroom. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him attentively."

* * *

"She really does hate me, doesn't she?" Alice sighed to Hestia, watching Lily stare at Flitwick's desk with an angry flare in her eyes.

"No, she doesn't," Hestia said comfortingly. "She's just-"

"Well, then, why does she look so angry?" Alice gestured, and Hestia turned to look.

"Not anymore," she grinned as she saw James sit down beside her.

"Come on, Hest, this is serious!" Alice said impatiently.

"Look, Lily doesn't hate you!" Hestia assured her. "She's just… sad." Alice gave a little moan.

"What do you think I should do?" she asked quietly.

"Look, first thing's first," Hestia said very seriously, and Alice sat up attentively. "What in _heaven's _name are you doing with Mary MacDonald nowadays?"

"Don't start," Alice sighed. "But she's not as bad as you think she is!"

"Yeah, tell _her _that," Hestia snorted. "You _know _what she did to Lily, Alice!"

"Well, maybe she can be a bit short-tempered sometimes," Alice retorted. "But that doesn't mean she's a bad person!"

"But why, though?" Hestia asked. "I mean, just because you're angry at Lily, does that automatically make _me _a person you can ignore, Alice?"

"You_ know_ it's not like that, Hest," Alice said. "I just thought you would take Lily's side, you know? Because you're her best friend and all…"

"How could you think that?" she asked incredulously. "I mean, I wouldn't ignore a really good friend without having a perfectly good reason!" Alice squirmed slightly in guilt, but otherwise didn't show any signs of reaction.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm sorry about everything. It's my fault you're in this position."

"What position?" Hestia asked blankly.

"You know, if you talk to me Lily might get mad and…"

"It's okay. I've already talked to her," Hestia reassured her, and Alice smiled slightly.

"So, what do you think I should do? I definitely do _not _want to be Lily's punching bag,"

"You mean _screaming _bag," Hestia corrected. "Who knows? Maybe you could replace Snape."

"Yeah, he really does get it from her, doesn't he?" Alice chuckled.

"Well, can't say he doesn't deserve it." Hestia said bitterly. "For everything he's done to her…"

"You think she'll treat me like that?" Alice asked.

"No way! Somewhere, deep down, you're still her friend, Alice." Hestia smiled.

"Mr. Potter, good to have you back!" Flitwick's voice echoed off the walls as he entered the classroom. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him attentively."

* * *

"See you later, Prongs," Sirius and Remus said in unison, but James had already started to make his way towards Lily's desk.

"He's desperate." Remus shook his head.

"I see what you mean." Sirius raised an eyebrow in James' direction.

"Anyway, see you guys later, I have to go sit with Mary." Remus waved at them, and walked over to Mary's desk at the front. He heard Peter's faint voice say "Bye, Remus," but chose to ignore it.

"Hey, Mary," he called, and Mary looked at him.

"Hi, Remus," she smiled as he sat down. "What's up?"

"Nothing, really," he said.

"So, I guess we have to patrol together tonight?" she asked, and Remus groaned inwardly. He would have to think of an excuse, and fast.

"Um… I'm sorry Mary, but I'm not going to be there tonight…" he trailed off uncertainly.

"What do you mean?" she inquired.

"I just… need to go somewhere…"

"Okay," Mary said, but was suspicious all the same. She had never discovered Remus' secret, but even still, she knew something was wrong. "So I guess I'll be with James then?"

"Um…" Remus didn't know what to say. "Actually, he's not going to be there either."

"Okay then…" Mary raised an eyebrow but didn't question him further. Something was definitely out of place, but she couldn't place her finger on it. "Remus, what's up? You look like you've just thrown up or something."

"Really? I-I didn't notice." He gulped.

"What are you two going to be doing?" she asked.

"I just have to… tutor him." He said the first thing that popped into his head.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, in Herbology."

"Okay, that makes sense," Mary shrugged, but didn't buy it for a second.

"Mr. Potter, good to have you back!" Flitwick's voice echoed off the walls as he entered the classroom. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him attentively."

* * *

"See you later, Prongs," Sirius and Remus said in unison, but James had already started to make his way towards Lily's desk.

"He's desperate." Remus shook his head.

"I see what you mean." Sirius raised an eyebrow in James' direction.

"Anyway, see you guys later, I have to go sit with Mary." Remus waved at them.

"Bye, Remus," Peter said. He and Sirius crossed over one desk and sat down. Both of them sat stiffly and didn't say a word to each other. Peter squirmed slightly and glanced at Sirius' face, which looked slightly disgruntled. He saw Sirius throw a dirty look at Lily and James, who were both laughing at him, and felt his face fall. He didn't know that he was so hated; maybe that was why he was doing this?"

"Sirius," Peter cleared his throat. He had to tell him.

"Yeah?" Sirius' head snapped towards him and his nasty look was replaced by a blank one. That was the thing about Sirius; he always tried to act like he didn't hate him, when his face usually gave him away. Maybe that was why he liked him so much.

"It's just… tomorrow in Charms… I'm not going to be there. You're okay with that, right?" His face paled as he awaited Sirius' answer.

"More of your…'business'?" Sirius snorted. "Yeah, I'm okay with that." He was actually _more_ than okay with that. Inside, he was practically jumping around in joy.

"Um… It depends on what you mean by 'business'…" Peter paled even more. He wasn't about to tell Sirius where he was going.

"Where do you _go _all the time, Wormtail?" Sirius narrowed his eyes. There even a chance in a million that he was out with some girl. Where did he go then? "We barely see much of you anymore. Not that that's a bad thing." He laughed.

"Ha ha." Peter muttered weakly. Darn it, why did he have to tell Sirius? He could have just bunked Charms and told him he was just sick or something. Curse his slow-thinking head! But then again, he never was the brightest fellow.

"Forget it, I don't even want to know." Snorted Sirius, turning his head frontwards. Peter sighed. Why did it have to be so hard to talk to him?

Both of them sat in silence as the voices of their classmates filled their ears.

"Mr. Potter, good to have you back!" Flitwick's voice echoed off the walls as he entered the classroom. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him attentively."

"Thanks, sir," James smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Flitwick asked, and Lily saw James go red in the face. He had made it very clear in the morning how much he hated to be asked that question.

"Great." He answered stiffly.

"Well, then I'll let Miss Evans fill you in on what we're supposed to be doing," Flitwick said.

"All right, sir," Lily said, and Fliwick nodded before turning away. James consequently looked at her and she cleared her throat.

"Well, it's a project sort of thing," she began. "For every Charms period on Mondays. We're supposed to think of some symptoms for a Charm we've made up. Then we're supposed to look for a Charm which more or less matches the symptoms we've come up with. Then, at the end of the year, we're supposed to demonstrate it."

"And how is this supposed to help us exactly?" James questioned.

"I honestly have no idea," Lily gave in. "But Flitwick says it's good practice if we want to become Aurors."

"So, do you?" James asked.

"What?"

"Want to become an Auror?" Lily hesitated a bit. She had never thought of a career as an Auror before. It never really crossed her mind. But then when James suggested it, it didn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe."

They spent the next hour or so coming up with crazy symptoms for a charm. Their ideas became wackier and wackier every minute. By the end of the class, both of them could hardly move for laughing.

"Next time, could we stick to something even _mildly _realistic, please?" Lily asked as they walked out of the class.

"Don't think that's ever going to happen." He laughed, and she punched him in the shoulder playfully.

"Unlike you, _I'm _looking for a decent grade, Potter." She said.

"Oh, so it's 'Potter' now?"

"Only when I don't like you."

"So when you don't say Potter that means you like me?" Lily groaned. She didn't mean it like that.

"Forget it." She said, and went to look for Hestia. James smiled to himself. She meant it like that.

* * *

**Sorry if the ending seemed a bit too sudden, but I really can't write anymore! I didn't want the chapter to seem too big, like the last one. **

**If you guys have any suggestions, don't hesitate to PM me! I would really like to hear any thoughts on changes I should make. **

**And I'll post the next chapter next Saturday. Friday, if I can. Thanks a lot for reading!**


	8. That Night

**Here's the eighth chapter! Hope it's okay... It didn't really take me much time to write it... please review!**

* * *

James just stared at his trunk. He was in his bedroom, in the Heads' dorm. He cast a short glance at the doorway, as if expecting anyone to barge in and interrupt him. Lily was, as Remus had predicted, downstairs studying. He leaned over the trunk and moved slightly, so that he was standing with his back to the doorway. So that even if someone did happen to come upstairs, they wouldn't be able to see what he was doing. He reached down into the trunk and let the slippery material of the Invisibility Cloak run through his fingers, absorbing the feel of it. Looking towards the window, he realized that it was already dark out and the bright, full moon cast a brilliant white light all around, illuminating the surroundings. His eyes found the Whomping Willow, where he knew Remus was at the moment. He closed his eyes and sighed. He would have to sneak over to the Gryffindor common room, take Sirius and Peter with him, and slip out of the castle unnoticed. Normally, it would have been an impossible job, but with his trusty Invisibility Cloak he could accomplish anything. Of course, being Head Boy, he was allowed to walk the halls in the middle of the night, without getting a detention, but going onto the Hogwarts grounds would definitely earn him one. He stuffed the Invisibility Cloak in his pocket, and climbed down the stairs slowly, trying to decide what he should say to Lily once he got there.

He decided to play it cool.

"You're _studying?" _he snorted, when he saw Lily reading her Transfiguration book near the fireplace. He already knew this, of course, but decided it was the best way to start a conversation. She just narrowed her eyes at him.

"We have our N.E.W.T.s this year!" she said.

"Yeah, and it's a week into school," he rolled his eyes. Walking up to her. She snapped her book shut and stood up.

"Come on, it's past the nine o' clock curfew, we have to patrol," she said, ignoring his comment. James felt as if a bomb blew up inside his stomach, sending an air of nervousness rush through his body.

"Um… about that…" he began nervously.

"What?" she asked.

"I can't tonight." he said, feeling dozens of weird excuses bounce around his brain.

_"What?" _Lily asked incredulously. "Why?"

James opened his mouth to say something, but shut it automatically. Not even the wildest excuse would have convinced her. Without even realizing it, he felt his legs move. He looked down and noticed that his legs were carrying him desperately towards the door.

"James!" he heard Lily order him, but he didn't care. He threw open the door and walked straight out of the common room.

Lily felt anger rush through her as she ran after him. She stepped into the corridor no less than five seconds after he did, but her eyes searched the corridor and found no signs of him. How could that be possible? He was here just a few seconds ago! She grumbled in annoyance and slammed the door shut behind her. Boy, was he going to get it from her when he came back.

A few feet away, standing with bated breath underneath the Invisibility Cloak, James breathed a sigh of relief. Now that he had gotten her out of the way, he could make the rest of the journey in peace. In the distance, he could hear Remus' howls shake the trees of the Forbidden Forest and felt a chill run down his spine. He was late. There was no one in the corridor, so James didn't hesitate to make a run for it. He ran all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and almost lost his hold on the cloak as the portrait swung open and nearly hit him in the face. He hastily gathered up the soft material tightly in his fist, staggered backward and pressed himself up against the wall. But he only saw Mary MacDonald emerge, undoubtedly going for patrols. James grinned to himself- it was just the opportunity he needed. He held his hand out to stop the portrait before it swung closed, and prayed that Mary didn't notice it. She didn't though, and continued to walk along the corridor. He gently climbed into the common room, and saw Sirius and Peter waiting for him.

"Ready to go?"

* * *

Lily slammed the door behind her and walked over to the sofa in anger. How _dare _he just walk away from her? She almost ripped apart her Transfiguration book in fury, but then realized that she had to do something- patrol. And her partner would be… James? _Perfect, _she thought angrily. Why couldn't it have been Remus? She could have talked to him about everything. After Hestia and Alice, she considered Remus closest. She threw her Transfiguration book across the room where it propped open on her desk. Then she ran upstairs to grab her wand. By the time she got back down, a cloud which had covered the moon moved and the bright full moon emerged into sight. She crossed over to the door when it caught her attention.

She had discovered Remus' secret way back in fourth year, but had kept it to herself. No one knew that she knew. Even Remus didn't know that she knew. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion- why was James out the same night Remus was?

Without a second thought, she threw open the door and shut it behind her.

If only she had noticed the open Transfiguration book on her desk, she would have gotten her answer right there.

Animagi.

* * *

She almost crashed into Mary MacDonald on her way out the door.

"Lily!" she heard her exclaim.

"What?" Lily asked bitterly. The last thing she needed right now was a conversation with Mary MacDonald.

"You and I have to patrol together tonight," Mary said breathlessly. She didn't want to talk to Lily either, but she guessed that she had to.

"What- no!" Lily spluttered. _Why? _She moaned inwardly. But then, with James and Remus gone, they would _have _to patrol together. "Fine. But for tomorrow, when the both of us have to patrol together, we have today's partners. Deal?"

"Fine," Mary said. "Anyway, I have another question."

"What?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Are James and Remus inside? They weren't in the Gryffindor common room… I just want to say hi."

"Why would Remus be inside?" Lily asked.

"He's tutoring James tonight! In Herbology."

"Really?" Lily raised an eyebrow. Tutoring? But it was a full moon night. Remus would be outside, as a werewolf. "Who told you that?"

"Remus," Mary shrugged.

Lily was definitely suspicious now. Why would Remus tell Mary he was tutoring James, when he was actually undergoing his transformation? Of course… Remus was scheduled to be Mary's partner tonight… he would have told her that he wouldn't be there. And with him out of the picture, James would be her partner. Remus would have told her some excuse for the both of them. But that meant that Remus knew where James had gone. But then, why would Remus and James plan something together and leave Sirius and Peter out of it?

"Mary, have you seen Sirius and Peter?" Lily asked, and Mary was surprised to see that her voice was empty of anger.

"Well, they were in the common room when I left," she said. "Why?"

"Come with me," Lily said, walking towards the portrait of the Fat Lady. She absolutely had no intentions about dragging Mary along with her, but what choice did she have? She could hear Remus' howls in the distance, getting louder and louder. And then suddenly, the howls vanished and a silence lingered. She could no longer hear them. Something strange was going on.

"Lily, patrols!" Mary reminded her.

"Oh, _forget _the patrols, Mary!" Lily snapped exasperatedly. "There's something weird going on here!" Mary ran up to her.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, how am I supposed to know?"

"I-"

"What's the password?"

"Huh?"

"Are you deprived of sight, idiot? We're in front of the Fat Lady!"

"Oh. Right," Mary said, flushing slightly in embarrassment. She turned to the Fat Lady, who was snoring gently, and cleared her throat. "Wake up." She said. The Fat Lady didn't stir. "Wake up!" she said, a bit louder. The Fat Lady just groaned.

"Let me try," Lily said, pushing Mary aside. She then slapped the portrait where the Fat Lady's cheek was. "_Wake up, Fat Lady!" _she nearly yelled. The Fat Lady jerked her head upwards and started to rub the spot where Lily had hit her.

"_What?" _she asked angrily.

"Goblin Wart."

"_Excuse me?" _

"It's the password!"

"Right…" the Fat Lady mumbled embarrassedly and swung the portrait door open. "Can't even get a decent night's sleep around here… first you slap me awake in the middle of the night and then you-" she wasn't quite able to complete her sentence seeing as Lily and Mary had already climbed through and shut the door behind them.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Mary asked. Lily ignored her and just looked around the common room for any signs of Sirius and Peter. She didn't find any.

"Search the boys' tower,"

"What?"

"For Peter and Sirius." she ran towards the staircase and had her foot on the first step when she heard Mary's commanding voice sound behind her.

"You can't _do _that, Lily!" she said.

"Do _what?" _Lily asked angrily.

"_Order _me to do stuff without me having a clue about what I'm doing!"

"This is _important, _Mary!"

"What is?"

Lily just huffed in annoyance and stomped up the staircase. She couldn't even bear to look at Mary as it was; _talking _to her was out of the question. She couldn't tell her about Remus anyway. Mary didn't follow Lily up the staircase, as she had expected. Mary would think that Lily absolutely _depended _on her help for this, and if she couldn't get it, then she wouldn't be able to do whatever it was she wanted. Actually, Lily was gladnot to have Mary tagging along behind her. She knew what a nuisance she could be.

Lily peered into the room. All the beds were empty except one- Frank's. She groaned and rested her palm on her forehead. What were the Marauders doing _now? _Suddenly, realization hit her. Remus was transforming. The Marauders were missing. Remus knew where they were. Could it be… they were _with _him? Even in her head, the idea sounded ridiculous. How could three _underage _wizards wander around with a fully- fledged werewolf in the middle of the night without being seen? Without being bitten? And, even if they _did _manage it, how could she not have noticed? It looked as though they had been doing this for a long time; she thought back to the previous year… every werewolf night she would look out of the window and see Remus being escorted by Madam Pomfrey. The Marauders were nowhere to be seen, though. That settled it. They weren't with Remus. But then again, she had never made sure that the Marauders _hadn't _left their beds.

It was a lost case. She would never know for sure. The only option was to wait.

She slowly climbed down the staircase, savoring each moment in which she wasn't talking to Mary. She decided to lie to her, of course. She knew what sort of a nosy person Mary could be, and knew that if she hinted something or acted as if it didn't even happen, Mary would push her and push her and push her until she cracked. But she wouldn't allow herself to get pushed.

She found Mary sitting in an armchair with her arms folded.

"Well, are you going to tell me what this is about?"

"They're up there," Lily said, in what she hoped was a convincing tone. "Sound asleep."

"Ha!" Mary snorted. "I think it's the first time I've seen Lily Evans' beliefs turn out to be untrue."

"No, actually," Lily said, feeling a sense of anger and hatred rush through her body. "I think you're forgetting the time when I believed I could trust you."

And with that, Lily turned on her heel and walked straight out of the common room, through the portrait door, earning several insults from the Fat Lady on the way. She could not stand Mary anymore. How dare she insult her, after everything she had done to her? It was despicable.

She almost forgot about patrols, about everything. It was nearly ten o' clock, and the patrolling time should have been over. But she walked through the halls anyway, determined to keep as much distance as possible between her and Mary. She couldn't hear any sounds behind her, though, and assumed that Mary hadn't come out of the common room. What a relief.

She stopped in her racks as she heard the distinct mew of Mrs. Norris sound in the distance. Without hesitation, Lily whipped around and hightailed it back to the Heads' dorm. Of course, being Head Girl, she was allowed to walk the corridors after ten, but she wasn't about to give Filch any reason to put her in detention, no matter what wild a reason it might be for.

She wrenched open the door to the dorm just as Mrs. Norris came up the staircase. She stumbled inside and shut the door behind her. Then she turned around and, panting heavily, allowed herself to fall headfirst on to the sofa. A low buzz of silence sounded in her ears as she tried to wrap her mind around the events of the evening. She would figure it out. She promised herself she would figure it out.

She yawned suddenly. It was getting late. She got up slowly ad walked over to the stairwell leading to her bedroom. Her foot was on the first step hen she noticed James' stairwell. Could she…? If James was where she thought he was, then he wouldn't be back for a few hours. She could easily snoop around his room and he would never know. It was a horrendous thing to do, but curiosity got the better of her. She crossed over to the stairwell and went straight up without hesitation.

She had expected his room to be messy, but it wasn't. She even shuddered to admit that his room might have been more tidier than hers. The bed sheets weren't ruffled at even a single spot, no clothes lay forgotten on the spotless floor, no mess atop the shiny cupboard where some photo frames and letters stood. She walked over to the photos to get a good look at them. The first one had three laughing figures standing in front of a large house. Actually, 'large house' was an understatement. It was humungous. And it wasn't even a house. It was a mansion. The Potter Mansion. She scrutinized the smallest of the figures- a black-haired boy with glasses, placed in that familiar lopsided position. James. And the other two behind him must have been his parents. She had to say, he looked remarkable like them. The appeared to have been taken a long time ago, since James looked no older than nine. She read the names scribbled at the bottom…

_James_

_Caroline_

_Daniel_

She moved on to the next one. It was larger and had a beautiful gold frame lining it. It was a picture of a girl, smiling and hugging a purple stuffed unicorn. Lily could tell who it was even without reading the name scrawled at the bottom. Evie. How pretty she looked, in that adorable pink sundress, with her soft brown hair sitting in curls on her shoulders.

Lily tore her eyes away from the picture and instead directed her vision on to the couple of letters sitting beside it. She knew it was none of her business to read other people's letters, and… oh, what the heck.

She picked the both of them up, and noticed that the first one was none other than the one she had shown James only this morning. She set it down on the cupboard, and looked at the second one.

_James Potter_

_Hogwarts_

It was written in the same handwriting… Evie's. But she had never seen this one before. It must have arrived after the previous one, but it was already torn open. She slid the letter out of the envelope and began to read.

_JAMES POTTER!_

_(I would have sent you a howler but then everyone would know Remus' secret, so I decided that wouldn't be such a good idea)_

Lily suddenly felt a rush of curiosity run through her. This was interesting. She glued her eyes to the paper and just kept on reading.

_HOW DARE YOU?! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE MY SOURCES AND AM PERFECTLY INFORMED ON WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING ON WEREWOLF NIGHTS! IT'S ABSURD! (and also pretty cool; where on earth did you learn to do that? Could you teach me? I know Auntie Carrie wouldn't approve but I want to learn anyway! Pretty please?)_

_ANYWAY, YOU COULD GET SERIOUSLY HURT! OR KILLED! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I NEED YOU TO PROMISE ME THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT AGAIN! SIRIUS AND PETER, TOO! I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU TO GET BITTEN!_

_And I haven't told Auntie Carrie and Uncle Danny for your sake. The news would really crush them (You're lucky I'm stronger than them, otherwise you would have been busted by now). But I want you to know, it's not always about you! Please, James. Do it for me. You don't need to do it, then why are you? Maybe Remus needs you, but I need you more. Please don't. _

_Promise me. _

_Evie_

Far from finding the answers to her questions, Lily felt more puzzled than ever. Why couldn't Evie have been a little blunter? True, she had understood one thing- they were doing something to do with werewolves. But what? She expected the letter to give her some hints. Clues, maybe. But all it had done was make her more suspicious. But then she read the letter again and realized… it gave her more hints than she could have asked for… _I need you to promise me that you're not going to do it again… _again. That meant that they had done it before. Many times, apparently. _Where on earth did you learn to do that?... I know Auntie Carrie wouldn't approve… I don't want any of you to get bitten… _That meant that they were with Remus. Doing something illegal or life-threatening, probably. Otherwise, why wouldn't Auntie Carrie approve? Well, it could be anything, really, if Caroline was an overprotective mother, but something told her that she wasn't.

Lily felt as if her head would explode from too much thinking. She slipped the letter back inside the envelope and placed it down on top of the previous one, careful not to leave any traces of her being there.

She shook her head furiously. Why couldn't she worry about this later? Now was not the time.

She was just about to leave the room when she noticed the trunk propped open. Before she knew it, her legs were carrying her in a fast trot towards the trunk. She peered inside and found the usual- wizard robes, muggle clothes… Sleekeazy's hair products? Lily laughed to herself- only James could keep something like that in his trunk.

Then she noticed a couple of objects in the corner. She picked the first one up- a small, square mirror. Normally, she would have laughed. But something told her that she was missing out on something… of course. She saw the exact same mirror on Sirius' cupboard, when she had gone there earlier. But that couldn't mean anything. They probably thought it cool to buy a pair of matching mirrors. For people like James and Sirius, it certainly wasn't improbable. She just snorted and threw the mirror back inside the trunk. Useless.

Then she picked up the second object. It was a torn old piece of parchment, yellowing in spots. _What a revolting thing, _Lily thought in distaste. But if he really needed it, why not keep it on his desk, with all the other rolls of parchment? Why in his trunk? It didn't make much sense to her.

Lily would have studied the object a bit more did she not have another one catch her eye. It was the corner of a frame, peeking out from under a large pile of clothes. She set the parchment down and tugged at the frame until it finally broke free, and held it up to her eyes.

It was a picture… of her.

_When did he take that? Where did he take that? _How _did he take that? Oh God, I'm going to kill him! _Lily thought angrily, but was mostly in shock. He had taken a picture of her. Why? The answer was on the tip of her tongue, really, but she refused to let it form on her lips. Merlin! Did he really feel that way for her?

Her hands were trembling. She took one look at the picture, at the big, bright smile on her face, and felt like throwing it across the room. Into the wall. So it would smash into a million pieces. So she could never give him the satisfaction of keeping a piece of her, only because he couldn't get the real thing.

But she didn't. She just slipped it back into its position, in the trunk. Then, before she got the chance to set her mind straight, she turned on her heel and walked straight out of the room. Down the stairs. Across the common room. Up the stairwell. Onto her bed.

She lay there for God knows how long, just thinking. She had considered the option of awaiting James' return, but decided against it. She decided to act as if the whole thing hadn't even happened. She decided to wait until the right moment.

She almost broke down. In the middle of it. Thought. She almost burst into tears, and she didn't know why.

_What you need, _she told herself firmly, _is a glass of water. _

That's it. A glass of water. What her mother always told her- a glass of water always helps you to calm to down. This was a lie, of course- water rarely ever helps, but Lily couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

She got up slowly and began to climb down the stairs.

* * *

James whispered the password to the doorknob, and the door sprung open. He was still under the Invisibility Cloak. He couldn't risk Lily seeing him in this state- with numerous cuts and gashes all across his body. Sirius was worse, he had to remind himself, but he had to be careful all the same. Remus had been particularly brutal tonight. He gave them no mercy, slashing at them until they were forced to retreat. He was in the Hospital Wing by now, and they hadn't left his side all night, even when the conditions were horrible. James had just come from the Gryffindor common room, dropping off Peter and Sirius, and had staggered all the way to the Heads' dorm under the safety of his Invisibility Cloak.

His eyes searched the room for any signs of Lily, but didn't find any. Who knew? She could have been up studying.

He walked over to the sofa and with a flourish, removed the cloak from his shoulders. His hands were aching from just holding it. He stuffed it in his pocket, and walked over to his stairwell. He would need his wand to mend his injuries. It was still in his bedroom; he hadn't taken it with him tonight. Besides, people would wonder what had happened to him if he went to his classes in this state.

His ears were pounding so hard that he didn't noticed something extremely vital. Right behind him.

Lily, standing hidden in her stairwell.

All she had come down for was some water, and instead she had found… _this? _She clapped her hands over her mouth in order to not scream in shock. He just appeared. In front of her. Just like that. She staggered back a few steps when she saw him emerge from the Invisibility Cloak so he wouldn't be able to see her. Amazing. Extraordinary. Mind-Blowing.

He was _so_ dead.

_James Potter, you have a lot of explaining to do._

* * *

**Hope this chapter was good enough! **

**And looks like the Saturday thing isn't going to work... so I'll have the next one up sometime next week. **

**(Don't forget to review!)**


	9. Where He Went

**Okay, please don't kill me. This chapter isn't a continuation of the last one, because it's about where Peter went during the Charms class.**

**I'm going to have to admit that I'm not very happy with this chapter, so that's why I'm posting two at once. The one after this is about Lily and James and the werewolf thing. **

* * *

Peter stared out of the window. He was in the Gryffindor common room, and it was empty. Near the forest, the Care of Magical Creatures class was going on, and he was the only one who hadn't opted for it. Charms was next, which was good, because then he would be able to slip out of the castle without being seen by his friends. Ha! Some friends of his. Or, to say more properly, some friend he was to them. He would be gone for nearly half the day today, to attend a meeting with the Dark Lord. No one knew. So far, he had been lucky. His friends weren't even suspicious. Except maybe Sirius. He seemed to really hate him, insulting him without hesitation. He had told Sirius that he wouldn't be present for Charms today, and had plenty of time to prepare for his escape from the castle. The common room was empty, after all. Everyone had some or the other class to attend.

It was a full moon night the previous day. Peter really had to thank Sirius, who had mended his injuries once they had gotten back to Gryffindor Tower, because Peter didn't know how to. Sometimes, Sirius really did try to act nice towards him. He really did appreciate him for that. And even the Dark Lord didn't know about his ability to transform into an animal. That, he meant it to be kept a secret. In this way, he couldn't betray his friends, who had done so much for him. The Dark Lord knew not of Remus' werewolf condition, knew not of the three Animagi who would keep him company. And Peter never intended to tell him. Even though the Dark Lord was an expert Legilimens, Peter would adapt a high power of Occlumency for this.

But how was he going to get out of the castle? So far, it had been easy. Bellatrix and her gang had been hiding out in the Forbidden Forest for a long time. But now…? He couldn't go out as a rat. What if his friends saw him? They were near the forest, after all.

Then it hit him. James' Invisibility Cloak. Surely, James wouldn't notice it missing, just for a couple of hours? He could sneak into the Heads' dorm, steal the cloak, slip out of the castle, and return it once he got back?

It seemed like a good idea, to him. Maybe the only idea he got, but still. It was his best shot. He sighed and walked out of the portrait hole, across the corridor. He still had some time, he could walk slowly.

CRASH.

Right into Professor McGonagall.

"PETTIGREW!" she yelled angrily, scooping her books and rolls of parchment off the floor. Peter stumbled backwards and gulped.

"P-Professor?" he stammered.

"Good heavens, child, look where you're going!" she rolled her eyes. Peter felt anger rush through him. He may be small, but he was _not _a child.

"There's no child here I can see, Professor," he said boldly. McGonagall raised her eyebrows in surprise. Peter never said things like that to her.

"Enough of your cheek, Pettigrew," she said sternly, and saw Peter's expression once return to his usual shy one. She stifled an eye-roll. What a pitiful creature. "Get to class at once. What are you doing, wandering the halls?"

"I have a free period, Professor," he replied.

"And you are spending it strolling down the corridors?"

"Actually, Professor, I was going somewhere."

"Oh, I see," she said. "Perhaps you find it pleasurable to walk straight into tapestries? There's nothing at the end of this corridor, Pettigrew, in case you have blind eyesight."

"If that is the case, Professor, what were you doing, coming from over there?" he said cheekily, and cowered under the fiery stare McGonagall gave him. Why on earth did he say that? Now he was going to get it, for sure.

"That's it," McGonagall said severely. "Being around those troublemakers has finally had its toll on you, Pettigrew. What has it been, six years? Congratulations."

"Um, thanks, Professor?" Peter said uncertainly.

"And, of course, you will be rewarded with detention. This Saturday, eight o' clock, my office. Have fun." She stuffed a roll of parchment in his chest and walked right past him. "And good job on your homework assignment, Pettigrew, you've got a 'P', as usual!" she yelled from across the corridor. Peter groaned and stuffed the assignment in his pocket. Curse McGonagall, giving a 'P' or a 'D' for everything. Someday, she was going to pay.

He walked right up to the door to the Heads' dorm and whispered the password to the doorknob. The door sprung open and he stepped inside, shutting it carefully behind him. It was empty, of course. He actually shuddered at the dreadful deed he was going to be doing. He ran up the stairwell to James' bedroom, cursing McGonagall all the way. He was running late. If he did not get out of the castle within the next five minutes, he was in deep trouble.

He threw open James' trunk and grabbed the Invisibility Cloak, running back downstairs. He was just about to leave when he noticed something. On Lily's desk, a leather-bound book propped open. He was running late, but who cared? He crossed over to her desk and stared at the page. Neat, cursive handwriting caught his eyes, extending all the way to the bottom of the page. Good Lord, it was Lily's diary. He stared at the date, September 10, and realized that it had been written yesterday. Curiosity got the better of him, and he read.

_September 10_

_Merlin, I feel so guilty. Tonight, I realized many things: that James Potter owns an Invisibility Cloak, that he and his reckless friends go out on full moon nights to help Remus, that James owns a picture of me. He really does. That made me so angry at him, but for some reason, now I'm not. I'm more like… guilty. For something that I did right after that. _

_I yelled at him. As soon as I saw him remove that bloody cloak, I yelled at him. I yelled at him for everything, I told him all that I had figured out tonight. Including that picture of me. Merlin, what have I done? Well yes, of course he yelled right back at me. He told me that it was none of my business to go through his things, that it was not my problem about whatever happened to him and Remus. Then he went right up to his bedroom, and didn't come back down. _

_I have never seen him like that. He's never yelled at me before, not once. I was taken aback. And now I feel so guilty that I feel like ripping my heart out or something. He was right, of course. It was none of my business. Then why have I made it my business? Because Evie's right, too. Anything could happen to them. I don't want them to get bitten either. _

_And now it looks like he's never going to speak to me again. It's quite ironic, actually- all these years, he's tried to talk to me while I've ignored him, and now… he hates me while I don't hate him. I am silently cursing myself. I swear, I'll do whatever I can to make this right. _

_-Lily _

Good. Frigging. Lord. She knew. She really knew. Should he tell the others? No, James might have already done that. He would keep it to himself.

And now he was going to get it from the Dark Lord, for sure. Lily and James weren't talking to each other. And it was the Dark Lord's plan to get them closer.

There was no time to waste. He draped the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders and ran straight out of the common room, down the stairs, across the grounds, into the Forbidden Forest. Once safely inside and out of sight from the Care of Magical Creatures class, he removed the cloak and placed it gently near the foot of a tree. The Dark Lord didn't know about the cloak, either, and he wasn't about to tell him. He stopped for a second to catch his breath, and then continued to run deep into the forest, where he knew the other Death Eaters were waiting.

"My Lord," he fell at Voldemort's feet. The others, all wearing masks, stood in a perfect circle around him, none daring to move.

"Ah, Pettigrew," Voldemort, caressing his wand with one long, slender finger. "You're late."

"I beg a thousand pardons, my Lord," Peter began nervously. "I was forced to stop, interrupted by a number of obstacles." Peter tried to close his mind off to Voldemort's high power of Legilimency. For all that he knew, it didn't work, but Voldemort made no signs of realization.

"Stand," he said coldly, and Peter rose to his feet. "So?" Voldemort said curtly. Peter knew that he had to relate his information.

"They are getting forever closer to each other, my Lord, just as we had hoped," he lied, and Voldemort's lips curved into a thin smile. Looked like his Occlumency had worked. Peter wasn't going to tell Voldemort that Lily and James were, as of now, not speaking a word to each other. He would earn the Dark Lord's wrath for sure, since he was in charge of the situation.

"And?"

"It will happen in no time, my Lord." Peter said.

"Ah, Mudblood…" Voldemort said, slightly dreamily. "You will be mine at last. Bella!"

Bellatrix took one step forwards, breaking the circle. "Yes, My Lord?"

"Inform Lucius and Narcissa," he began. "We will not interrupt their budding romance, until it comes in full bloom. No one will take a single step towards the castle, no one will lay one finger on the Mudblood till I say."

"Right away, My Lord." Bellatrix assured him, taking a step backwards and rejoining the circle.

"You may leave now, Pettigrew." He said coldly. Peter bowed down and walked way. Once he was out of sight, he ran all the way to the tree where he had kept the cloak. With shaking fingers, he threw it around him and sprinted as fast as his short legs could carry him. Once inside the castle, he slowed down to a walk, trying not to give any signs of him being there. This was not necessary, however, since the cloak slid long past his feet, lying in sheets on the ground, deafening the sounds of his loud feet.

Everyone was in Charms by now, so it was safe to go in the Heads' dorm and place the cloak back in the trunk. Luckily, McGonagall was nowhere to be seen in the seventh floor corridor. Once inside the dorm, he removed the cloak and replaced it in the trunk. He felt a pang of guilt while climbing down the stairwell, mostly having to do with his role in the plan of the Dark Lord. What strove him to do this to his friends, who had done so much for him?

But now, nothing could be changed. What had been done, had been done, and even though he wanted to change that, he couldn't. He just had to roll with it.

* * *

**Okay, in case you're wondering, this is probably the last chapter which is sort of intense, for a long time. The next few chapters are all easy, so I hope it's not too much to take in! **


	10. Making Up

**Again, I'm ****_really _****sorry for putting a chapter between the two, but I really had to do it! :( **

**So anyway, hope this chapter's good enough. **

* * *

Lily was writing in her diary. It was the Saturday after the full moon incident, and James had acted very cold towards her for the past five days. He had never acted like that towards her before, and she was so guilty about it that she felt like jumping into the Black Lake. Who cared if a Giant Squid lived there? All the better, really. She deserved to be splattered with ink.

She couldn't say that she wasn't angry at James either, but knew that he had a point. She tried to imagine how she would have acted in that situation: if someone snooped through your things and then yelled at you. Boy, she would have lost it, that's for sure. Then why was she so angry at James? He deserved to act that way towards her, but what he had done wasn't forgivable either. She actually threatened to tell Dumbledore about it, but dropped it as soon as she considered James' side of the situation. She trusted him enough to work this out for himself.

She tried not to think of the moment, but it kept on coming back to her. Every single sentence was permanently etched in her mind, as much as she tried to get rid of it. Every second, as sharp as a crystal, appeared before her eyes when she closed them; in class, in the corridors, her schoolwork was suffering considerably. Everyone tried to figure out what was wrong with her; Lily Evans _never _got a 'D' on a homework assignment before. Even the teachers were worried. She hadn't told Hestia, she hadn't told anyone. This, she needed to keep to herself.

She slammed the diary shut and groaned through her fingers. Why was it so hard to forget?

_"JAMES POTTER!" Lily mimicked Evie's words, stomping down the stairs and glaring at him, as soon as she had recovered from her shock. He spun around, and was speechless, for a second. _

_"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" she screamed, losing her mind completely. He just stared at her, unable to take in the whole situation. _

_"Was what?" he began feebly. He didn't know what to say. She saw him come out from under the cloak. Saw him look as if he had been grinded to a pulp. What was she going to think? That he had disappeared in the middle of the night, without even telling her, appearing with an Invisibility Cloak wrapped around him and blood streaming all down his face? Good Lord, it sounded ridiculous even in his head. _

_"THAT!" she walked up to him and snatched the cloak. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" _

_"About what?" he asked, bewildered. There was absolutely no way she could know about Remus. Then what did she mean?_

_"HOW COULD YOU?" she screeched in his face, throwing the cloak across the room. He closed his eyes defensively. "YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS! YOU AND PETER AND SIRIUS! HOW COULD YOU GO OFF WITH REMUS, WHEN HE'S IN THAT STATE? IT'S INEXCUSABLE! DUMBLEDORE SHOULD KNOW-"_

_"Wait, you know?" he asked, realizing what she had said and opening his eyes. He narrowed them at her. "How do you know?" _

_"NEVER MIND HOW I KNOW! I'M SMART, OKAY? I FIGURE THINGS OUT! AND YOU KNOW, EVIE'S RIGHT!" she yelled, without thinking. "YOU COULD GET BITTEN! THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING YOU COULD SAY-"_

_"Hey, you looked through my mail?" he asked incredulously. "But- that's- confidential!" he spluttered, oblivious to the uncrontollable anger flooding his heart. _

_"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER?" she ignored him. When she was angry, nothing could stand in her way. "SHE WAS JUST LOOKING OUT FOR YOU! YOU CAN'T BREAK RULES LIKE THAT, POTTER! AND IT'S NOT JUST FOR THE SCHOOL, BUT THE MINISTRY TOO!"_

_"TO HELL WITH THE MINISTRY!" he bellowed. He couldn't control that anger which he tried hard to suppress. He saw Lily cower a bit, and felt guilt clouding him. But his mind couldn't agree to that, all that existed inside him was just anger now. "TO HELL WITH THE RULES, THEY DON'T MATTER HERE!" _

_"RULES MATTER _EVERYWHERE, _POTTER!" Lily got hold of herself. For a second, she was shocked at James' sudden outburst, but then she still had to prove her point, right? _

_"NOT HERE! HERE, THEY DON'T! HERE, IT'S JUST A PERSON GOING THROUGH A LOT OF PAIN, WITH ONLY HIS FRIENDS TO HELP HIM! MAYBE YOU DON'T GET THAT, BUT THIS IS MY CHOICE, OKAY? IT'S MY PROBLEM, NOT YOURS!"_

_"LIKE HELL IT'S NOT MY PROBLEM! I'M GOING TO TELL DUMBLEDORE, HE NEEDS TO KNOW, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!"_

_"OH, COULD YOU STOP TATTLETALING, FOR ONCE?" James yelled exasperatedly. "SINCE WHEN HAS THIS BEEN ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS? IF WE'RE READY TO TAKE THE RISK, THEN JUST _LET _US!"_

_"I'M _MAKING _IT MY BUSINESS!" Lily screamed. Why couldn't James just listen to her? He was making her so frustrated. "AND, SPEAKING OF BUSINESS, SINCE WHEN HAS IT BEEN ANY OF _YOURS _TO KEEP A PICTURE OF ME?" _

_For a second, they both just stood there. James looked at her with wide eyes, and she took in what she had just said. Merlin. What would he think? _

_"You- you-" he stammered. "How do you-" _

_"Does it matter how I know?" she asked. They had stopped yelling now. _

_"Yeah, it does," he said angrily. "What have you been doing all night, reading my letters and searching my trunk? Since when have you become like the queen of the castle or something, that you have all the right to look at other people's things?" _

_"It's not like that!"_

_"It's _exactly _like that!" he pulled at his hair in frustration. He was completely aware of the blood that was staining his robes, but could feel no pain anymore. How could she? And they were just beginning to become friends. Just because they were living together didn't mean that she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. "You know what? Do whatever you want. It's all your business now, I don't care if you tell Dumbledore. Go ahead, I don't care." _

_Lily was speechless. She watched as James walked over to the sofa, retrieved his cloak, and walked up his stairwell without a word. _

_"JAMES POTTER, DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!" she yelled, but he ignored her. She watched as his feet disappeared over the stairs, and just stood there, breaking the silence only by her heavy breathing. _

She glanced at her watch. Quidditch tryouts were in an hour. She had always been a fan of Quidditch, but had never told James because he was such a big show-off for it. But this time, she was going to sit in the stands in a place where he could see her clearly. She owed him that, to let him know that she had always been watching him play.

She got up from her bed and walked downstairs slowly. James was in his bedroom with the rest of the Marauders. She was thankful for this, because she didn't want to be given the chance to be within ten feet of him. It was really painful, for some reason.

She walked all the way to the Great Hall, begging that Hestia would be waiting for her. She was found walking around alone a lot, lately.

"Lily-Petal!" Hestia shrieked, throwing her arms around her. "Where have you been? You're always leaving me alone with _him," _she directed her thumb over her shoulder. Lily moved her head and saw Amos Diggory standing with all his fangirls around him. She laughed. "He's horrible! Honestly, I know why you can't stand him, he's such a big fat flirt,"

"Tell me about it," Lily chuckled.

"Come on, Petal, to the Quidditch field it is," Hestia threw her arm around Lily's shoulder and forcefully dragged her over to the entrance. "We need to find a good seat, remember? Because you 'can't risk that Potter boy finding out that you're in love with Quidditch',"

"Actually, what the heck, right?" Lily shrugged as they stepped out of the castle. "Let him find out, who cares,"

"Really?" Hestia raised her eyebrows at her. "Is there something you want to tell me or-"

"No, nothing," Lily lied. "Everything's fine, I just don't feel like hiding it anymore,"

"Lily!" Hestia said incredulously.

"What?"

"If you really expect me to believe that, then you must be a _dunce_, dunce," she rolled her eyes. "I know it has something to do with you living with him,"

"I do _not _live with him!" Lily said firmly, and Hestia sniggered. She _always _did that when she mentioned them living together.

"Whatever you say, Petal," Hestia waved it off, and Lily huffed. "So are you going to tell me?"

"Well, to be blunt, we both kind of yelled at each other," Lily confessed. "And now he's angry at me."

"It's funny," Hestia said, staring into space. "Now _he's_ angry at you and you're trying to get his attention,"

"I'm not trying to get his attention!"

"Again, whatever you say,"

"What do you think I should do?" Lily asked.

"I don't know!" Hestia laughed. "Just… roll with it, I guess. What are you going to do? He'll probably realize that he can't live without you, or that you're his everything, and that if he's angry at you then there's no chance-" she erupted in a fit of giggles as Lily smacked the back of her head.

Maybe Hestia was right… she would just have to 'roll with it'. What could she do, anyway? Other than flirt with him and make him realize how much he needed her. Ha! As if she would ever do that.

"Shut up," she laughed. "But I guess you have a point…"

"Look!" Hestia pointed to the stands. "How about over there? That way we'll be in front of his eyes at all times."

"I don't _want _to be in front of his eyes at all times!" Lily said exasperatedly. "I just… want him to know that I don't hate Quidditch as much as he thinks I do,"

"Oh, shut up, come with me," Hestia silenced her and pulled her across the field. Lily sighed. There was really no arguing with Hestia.

"Ah, fine," she said. They climbed the steps and seated themselves right in front of the hoops.

"There!" Hestia collapsed on a seat. "Perfect, we're in clear view."

"Yeah, perfect," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh, stop being such a drag, Lily," Hestia pulled her down next to her. "Lighten up a bit!"

"I wish," Lily snorted, staring out into the field. No one had really arrived yet, and she was tapping her foot to the floor in impatience. Couldn't they hurry up a bit?

* * *

The Marauders were in James' bedroom, an hour before the tryouts begun. All of them were quite depressed, for some reason.

"It's Gloomsville in here," James sighed.

"Tell me about it," Remus buried his face in his hands. "_Why _did Gregory have to steal my chocolates?"

"You're sad because some idiot stole your _chocolates?" _Sirius asked incredulously. "Really? Some of us have more important issues, Moony, if you could be kind enough to stop whining about your chocolates!" he emphasized the last word with a snort.

"Like being sad over McGonagall turning you down for the thousandth time is worth it, Padfoot?" Remus rolled his eyes.

"But… how could she?" Sirius sniffled. "I thought she loved roses… she told me so last year… and she just th- threw them away!" Sirius broke down in fake tears and Remus smacked him upright.

"Stop it, James looks like he's actually about to cry, no triggering it with your fake nonsense, Padfoot!"

"Oh, he's just upset over McGonagall giving him a 'D' in his assignment," Sirius waved it off.

"I yelled at Lily," James said quietly. 'Real bad. Now I think she's never going to talk to me again,"

"You _what?" _Remus said, surprised.

"Good on you, mate," Sirius said encouragingly. "She really had that coming to her. Really, I wonder how you held it in for all these years. That's it, Prongs, let it all out…" he yelped with pain as Remus jabbed him sharply in the stomach.

"I know she knew my secret, James… that's all okay with me… but you never told us you yelled at her!"

"Yeah, well," James shrugged. "She read Evie's letter and found my picture of her…"

"Ouch," Sirius grimaced.

"I know, right?" James sighed.

"No I mean… ouch, that _hurt, _Moony!" Sirius jabbed Remus back in the stomach. "You ruined my precious- OW!" he yelled, earning another one from Remus, who was massaging his stomach gently.

"Shut up, Sirius," he hushed. "Let him talk."

James sighed. He couldn't tell anything to his friends anymore. Or, more accurately, he couldn't tell anything to _Sirius _anymore, he just took things too lightly. Nonetheless, he went on.

"She knows about what we do on full moon nights…" he continued. "I don't think I can do it anymore,"

"Why not?" Sirius questioned, poking Remus back in the stomach. "I mean, she hasn't told anyone this whole week, right? You're safe, Prongs… she wouldn't do that to you."

"He's right, you know," Remus said, jabbing Sirius back. "I mean, I can't say I approve of it myself, but… she's not going to tell anyone anytime soon, James. I think she's trying hard to get- aaah!" James looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Remus tried to extend his sudden outburst of pain into a word. "Aah- on your good side, I've been watching her," he looked distastefully at Sirius, who was shaking in silent sniggers.

"Okay," James stood up. "But I'm still angry at her." Remus just shook his head.

"Fine, come on, you'll be late for Quidditch." He said. James walked on ahead of them and Remus and Sirius had their silent poking fight, trying hard not to yelp in pain as James jabbered on about 'What am I going to do?' or 'I don't think I can do this,' or 'I hope she doesn't hate me,'.

They walked all the way over to the Quidditch pitch in silence, occasionally nodding or saying 'of course,' or 'it's not your fault' at James' complaints, continuing to jab each other painfully, going unnoticed by James.

"Wow! That's a lot of people," James exclaimed, widening his eyes at the enormous crowd of people who had turned up for the tryouts.

"They're mostly girls, or didn't you notice?" Remus rolled his eyes, trying hard to keep a steady voice, which was practically impossible, seeing as Sirius was seizing his chance to retaliate on Remus' stomach.

"No, look, there are a couple of guys over there," James pointed.

"They must be gay, then," Sirius snorted.

"Ha ha, really funny," James said.

"Who says with _you?" _Sirius grinned, and James looked at him disgustedly. Remus and Sirius both withdrew their hands as soon as James turned around and tried to act as if they were carefully observing the yellowing grass or the fluffy clouds. Sirius actually whistled, and pretended to fix a nonexistent tie, ruining the effect completely.

"Okay, what is wrong with you two?" James narrowed his eyes. Remus and Sirius immediately broke into a list of excuses, and James was finding it hard to listen to one of them while the other was speaking at the same time.

"Wrong with us?"

"Who said there was anything wrong with us?"

"Ha! We were listening to you the whole time, Prongs!"

"Yeah! What makes you think there was anything wrong with us?"

"We're innocent little angels, God forbid I should do anything so tactless such as have a Poking War with my friend here, while my _dear _little companion is clearly in distress?"

"How right you are, what wretches we would be, to ignore our whining friend for some silly old game which would leave deep red marks on our respective bellies?"

"Hey, stop it!" James held his hand up, and they both shut their mouths. "Forget it; we have to get on with the tryouts."

"Yeah. _Stop it, _Moony," Sirius narrowed his eyes at him, leaying heavy emphasis on 'stop it'.

"Fine," Remus rolled his eyes. "I'll get to the stands, you two have fun with your tryouts," he waved goodbye to both of them and they turned around. Remus seized his chance and poked Sirius in the ribs just as he was walking away.

"Ow!" Sirius yelped.

"HA! I WIN!" Remus yelled, punching the air with his fist while earning several stares from the surrounding crowd. He withdrew his hand slowly, turning red in the face, and Sirius gave him a death glare. James just looked quizzically between the two of them.

"This is not over, Moony," Sirius hissed, and Remus just mocked him, raising and pressing his fingers together. And before Sirius got the chance to poke him back, he ran across the field, straight up into the stands, sniggering to himself.

"That traitorous little-" Sirius shook his head with gritted teeth, but then stopped as he saw the look on James' face. "Um… traitorous little McGonagall who rejected me yet again?" he said hopefully. James just turned away from him and faced the crowd of people. The remaining few members of the Quidditch team were standing behind him, waiting for him to say something.

"Okay, first out," he yelled, so that everyone could hear him. "Everyone who's _not _in Gryffindor, just leave!" a gang of Ravenclaw girls looked at him dejectedly and walked away.

"_Why, _Prongs?" Sirius whined in his ear.

"Shut up, Padfoot," James whispered back. "Secondly," he yelled, "Anyone who can't even sit on a broom straight, get out of here, I can't waste my time with people like you!" More than half the crowd narrowed their eyes at him and walked off the pitch. He grinned. A perfect way to start tryouts, now there were only a group of sixth and fifth year girls, and fourth year boys left.

"Okay, all of you!" he yelled slightly softer, now that there were much less people, "Get on your brooms and take two rounds of the Quidditch pitch. And if you have any tricks or something you want to show me, then go ahead, okay?"

They obliged. They all picked up their broomsticks, and took off. James just stood there, folding his arms and watching them. He grinned occasionally, whenever he saw one of them do a spectacular trick which he had never learnt in his life. They touched down, and he smiled brightly at them.

"Wow!" he rubbed his hands together. "Looks like all of you can fly pretty well, good job!" they all smiled at him, and he continued, "Well, how about we try for the Keeper first? So, mount your brooms and let's go to the hoops, okay? I mean, only the people who are trying for the Keeper," he added, and most of the people kept their brooms down. He mounted his broom and kicked off into the air, speeding towards the hoops. He pulled the handle back to a halt, and turned sharply to face the others who were behind him. "All right, Chasers, line up here, please," two sixth year girls took their places in front of the hoops, one of them clutching the bug, round Quaffle. Even though he was the third Chaser, he needed to choose, so he didn't budge from his spot.

"All right, let's-"his next words caught in his throat, when he noticed Lily sitting with Hestia in the stands. He saw her looking at him, guilt fogging her eyes, and felt angry, but mostly surprised. She actually liked Quidditch. Why didn't she tell him? Or maybe, she was doing this only because she wanted his attention? _Wanted his attention. _He almost grinned at the thought, but caught himself. He couldn't forgive her, just because of this. He tore his eyes away from her and faced the crowd. "Um…?" he asked. He forgot what he had just said.

"You said, 'All right, let's'," a third year girl spoke up.

"Yeah, right," James said hastily, blushing slightly. "So let's get on with this, I'll be watching from over here,"

The tryouts took nearly half the day, choosing was incredibly difficult for James. He didn't know that there were so many good Quidditch players in Gryffindor! Last year, there weren't near as many talented people who showed up for the tryouts. Nevertheless, in the end, he decided with a sixth year boy for the Beater along with Sirius, who was already there, of course, and a fourth year boy for Keeper.

"All right, team, we meet up here three days a week for practice," he ordered, once the tryouts were over and they were all standing in the light evening sun, panting from over five hours of flying. "Sytherin isn't going to beat us again! It's my last year at Hogwarts, and we're going to make it count. Got it?"

"Yeah," everyone mumbled.

"Okay, then meet you guys back here Monday," he said. "I've already booked the field," Everyone nodded, and walked away, a few muttering 'Bye, James,', but Sirius walked over to him instead.

"Great tryouts, Prongs," he smiled. "But _why _did you make ol' Snotnose the Beater? Boo hoo, Gideon was so much better-"

"Ha ha, _Snotnose, _Padfoot?" James raised an eyebrow.

"I've been watching him," Sirius wrinkled his nose. "What's his real name, you reckon?"

"Actually, I really have no idea," James rubbed his chin in astonishment. "I'll ask him,"

"No, no , no!" Sirius said. "You're supposed to say, 'don't know, don't care,'. _Honestly, _Prongs, haven't I taught you anything?"

"I'd rather not be taught by you, to tell you the truth, Padfoot," James made a face.

"And what is _that _supposed to mean?" Sirius asked. "I mean, hey! It's _my _fault Lily-Flower was looking at you so desperately back there! Now if you _hadn't _yelled at her, then-"

"You were watching me?" James rolled his eyes.

"Why would I not?" Sirius winked. "It's so much fun to watch you squirm,"

"Shut up or I'll hex you, Padfoot," James pretended to threaten him.

"Yeah, I'm so scared," Sirius said sarcastically, and then grinned. "Hey! How 'bout we prank McGonagall's office tonight?" he added in a whisper. "I want to get her back for turning me down."

"You _do _realize you're asking the Head Boy whether you could prank a teacher's office, right?" James asked seriously, and Sirius looked down at the ground dejectedly.

"Aww…!" he moaned.

"Let's do it," James grinned widely, and Sirius looked at him with tearful eyes. "Okay, first of all, _never _look at me like that again," he grimaced, and Sirius laughed.

"Right, I forgot," he said. "That's Lily-Flower's job,"

"Yep,"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sirius said excitedly. "Let's go!"

'"Wait!" James stopped him. "What about Moony?"

"Forget it, Moony wouldn't go that far," Sirius snorted. "And _don't you dare _ask me if it's okay to bring Wormtail along!"

"I wasn't going to!" James laughed.

"Good. Come on!" They ran up to the castle in the dark, quietly tiptoing through the empty corridors in their dirty Quidditch robes.

"Don't you think we ought to change first?" James asked, seeing as they were leaving a trail of dirt all along the floor.

"Hey, where's your nerve, Prongs?" Sirius grinned. "It's like I don't even know you anymore."

"But Filch-"

"Forget Filch! You're hanging around with Lily-Flower too much, don't be a big fat coward and _come on!"_

"Says the guy who's afraid of cats," James rolled his eyes.

"Hey! Mrs. Norris is _creepy, _okay?" Sirius shuddered.

"Look, there's her office," James pointed. "Is she in there?"

"Nope, saw her in the Great Hall," Sirius beckoned him towards the door. "Okay, pranking caps on, what're we going to do to it?"

"I don't know! I thought you had an idea,"

"How would I, you big buffoon, I just asked you,"

"Fine! How about we do something to her desk? She really loves it."

"No-wait- I've got an idea… how about instead of her _office, _we do something to _her? _Come inside, we need to take cover."

"Um… why?"

"We can't talk out in the open!"

"So where-"

But Sirius had already darted inside the room and dived under McGonagall's desk.

"You've _got _to be joking." James laughed, but Sirius had already pulled him under.

"I say, it's getting awfully cramped in here," he frowned.

"Thanks a lot, Pads," James said in a muffled voice.

"So listen!" Sirius quieted him. "I was going through Hestia's fashion magazines, I found them on her desk-"

"Fashion magazines?"

"Yeah, you know- Lily-Flower gave them to her on her birthday. Muggle ones."

"I see," James said, apparently confused.

"I was looking at the swimsuit models… boy, you wouldn't believe what muggles can do-"

"NO DETAILS, PADFOOT!" James nearly yelled, and Sirius just grinned.

"Did I mention _what _I was doing while looking at them?"

"EW, PADFOOT, GROSS!" James yelled as loud as he could. "JUST GET ON WITH IT!"

"Well, I just thought swimsuits would look great on dear old Minnie,"

That's when James caught sight of a picture of McGonagall, which had fallen on the floor beside her desk.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he grinned.

"Way ahead of you," Sirius crawled out from underneath the desk and ran all the way to the door. "I'll get the magazine, you get the picture, we meet at the Room of Requirement. Okay?"

"Got it." James grabbed the picture and ran out of the room, all the way up to the seventh floor. He walked in front of the wall three times until a door appeared, and threw it open. Inside, he found thousands and thousands of magazines, piled up all the way to the ceiling, a lone desk in the middle of them. He grinned. Their diabolical plan was going well.

He waited for about fifteen minutes until Sirius came along, Hestia's magazine in his hand.

"There really was no need, Pads," he shrugged. Sirius' jaw dropped.

"Wow," he breathed.

"Hurry up, we'll be late for dinner," James slammed the picture down on the desk. Sirius walked over, flipping through the magazine.

"Here it is!" he said happily. "This one here, don't you think it'd look great on her?"

"I guess," James said uncertainly. They spent the next hour or so working on their masterpiece. Once they were done, they duplicated the picture into hundreds.

"Would you look at that," Sirius said, admiring his piece of work.

"I'd rather not," Jame turned away.

In the end, they had Hestia's magazine, almost exactly the same, except now the swimsuit model was wearing McGonagall's deep green robes. And then they had hundreds of pictures of McGonagall, all dressed in a bright red bikini, altered so that she was swaying her hips and running her hands through her hair instead of just smiling at the camera.

"I was thinking, how about all over the Great Hall tomorrow morning?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"Works for me,"

"And we could put a Permanent Sticking Charm on them."

"Perfect," James grinned. "We'll do it tonight, once everyone's gone to bed. Okay?"

"Fine." The both of them walked out of the Room of Requirement, laughing and fantasizing about how McGonagall would react once she saw the pictures. James bid goodbye to Sirius, who had gone to put the magazine back, when he entered the Heads' dorm, since he had to go and change robes. Lily was nowhere to be seen, undoubtedly downstairs at dinner. He changed robes quickly, and bounded down the steps; he was starving. He met Remus in the Great Hall, talking to Sirius, Lily and Hestia sitting opposite to them. He slid into the seat beside Remus, who looked at him in a disappointed way.

"I can't _believe _you guys didn't call me!" he moaned, and Sirius thumped him on the back.

"Call you for what?" Lily narrowed your eyes.

"Oh, so you're doing that again?" James asked coldly, and they all just stared at him.

"I-um-" Lily stammered.

"Just don't," James sighed. "Anyway, sorry, Remus, we thought you wouldn't be up for it."

"Hey, I'm not Wormtail!" Remus rolled his eyes.

"So you agree he's a doofus?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"He's not a _doofus, _Sirius, he just messes things up," Remus corrected. "A lot." He added.

"See? You can help us put them up, though," Sirius said, trying to comfort him.

"Put _what _up?" Lily asked curiously.

"Okay, I'm done eating," James said even though he hadn't touched a thing. "See you guys later, okay? I'm going up to bed."

"But _Prongs!" _Sirius whined. "We need you!" But James had already walked out of the Great Hall. He walked all the way up to the seventh floor, and collapsed on the comfy sofa, in his dorm. His stomach was grumbling for help, but he ignored it. He didn't even know why he was doing this. All he knew, was that just looking at her face made his body threaten to break down. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I brought you something."

Lily's voice startled him and he snapped his head towards the door. She smiled weakly and waved a bun through the air. Then she walked over and sat down next to him.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"Thanks," he said, taking the bun from her an biting into it gratefully. They sat in silence for a few seconds, as James finished eating.

"No, I mean, is me sitting here okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure, if you want to." he shrugged.

"It's just… I think I overreacted a bit," she confessed. "Sorry, it just didn't seem like such a good idea to me, and the fact that you didn't even care to tell me about it made me really mad. But if you think-"

"Please tell me this isn't some sort of big speech," he rolled his eyes.

"Actually, you could call it a small speech," she smiled, and he grinned. "But you get my point, right?"

"I guess so," he nodded. "And sorry for yelling at you. I'm not saying you had a right to go up to my room, but I overreacted a bit too. I mean, if you weren't curious after what you found out before, then I seriously would have thought you were an idiot," she laughed.

"Okay, then. We'll forget this ever happened," she said, and half-raised her arm to pat his back, but let it fall midway. "Just, one favor, okay? Don't lie to Evie. Tell her the truth, that you're not going to stop. She's just caring for you, she deserves to know."

"Okay," he sighed. "And you know why I didn't tell you about it before? Because I didn't trust you. I thought you hated me, and that if you got anything against me, I was in trouble for sure."

"Yeah, you might have been," she reasoned.

"But now… since you've seen everything already… I don't think it can hurt."

"To do what?" she asked curiously. But he just grabbed her hand and steered her over to his stairwell.

"Show you."

They climbed the stairwell together, and he seated her on his bed. Then he opened his trunk and pulled out the small mirror which she had seen before.

"This," he explained. "Is a two-way mirror. Sirius has the other one. I say his name into the mirror, and then we can talk to each other. We use it during detentions, if we're separated."

"Wow," she took it from him and ran it through her fingers. "Who gave it to you?"

"It was his," he shrugged. "And he wouldn't tell me."

"Nice," she gave it back to him, and he put it back in his trunk.

"And I bet you wondered what this was, huh?" he pulled out the yellowing bit of parchment which Lily had looked at so quizzically before, and smiled.

"Yeah, I spent ages," she said as he sat down beside her. Then she watched as he pulled out his wand and tapped it.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he whispered, and immediately black ink spread out from the center of the paper. Lily watched in awe as the ink formed words, but it didn't stop there. It spread all across the paper in various designs and shapes. Her eyes darted across it, taking in the whole thing. She saw a gigantic area titled 'the Great Hall', where she saw hundreds of moving figures, which were all labelled. Her eyes found 'Hestia Jones', 'Sirius Black, and 'Remus Lupin' walking out of the hall.

"Is this… a map of the castle?" she asked incredulously, searching the paper and finding a number of passageways which she didn't even know were there.

"Yeah," he said admiringly. "We made it. Isn't it brilliant?"

"It's amazing," she breathed, snatching it from him and holding it up to her eyes. "So _this _is why Filch can never find you."

"You got me," he held his hands up in surrender.

"We can use this during patrols, it'll be so much easier," she sighed with relief.

"Yeah, only don't tell anyone, okay? No one's supposed to know, Filch would confiscate it for sure."

"Yeah, you have my word," she assured him. "Anyway, how do you wipe it blank?"

"Like this," he took it from her and tapped the surface with his wand again. "Mischief managed," he muttered, and the map wiped itself clean. "Like it?" he asked.

"How many times do I have to say it's amazing?" she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, it's just that I don't think I can believe my ears. You know, Lily Evans saying she likes a pranking object,"

"I'm not _that _bad!" she spluttered. "I'll have you know, I love pranks."

"So how come you try to stop us every time we do one?"

"Because I don't like you."

"Okay, then, prove me wrong," he challenged. "We're going to put up some half-naked pictures of McGonagall in the Great Hall tonight."

"You're _what?" _she asked incredulouslly, nearly laughing.

"Help us, then," he said. "I'll take you underneath the Invisibility Cloak."

Lily hesitated. It wasn't like her to pull a prank on a teacher, but then again, she didn't want to look like a coward.

"Fine, I'll do it." she said, and he laughed.

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows, and she grinned.

"Sure, as long as you don't tell McGonagall I was in on it."

"Deal," he said. "But you better not be asleep at midnight."

"_Midnight?" _she asked. "You think I sleep before midnight?"

"I don't know, I don't keep track." he shrugged.

"Of course you don't," she said. "But I have a question… why did you show me?"

"What?" he asked. "My stuff?"

"Yeah,"

"Because…" he trailed off. He really didn't know why he showed her. "I guess I didn't want anything to hide from you anymore." She smiled tearfully at him. He suddenly remembered Sirius smiling at him on the Quidditch pitch, and laughed. He remembered Sirius saying that it was Lily's job to look at him like that.

"Thanks, James," she smiled.

"No problem," he waved it off. "Come on, it's nearly ten o' clock, good thing we don't have to patrol tonight."

"Yeah," she said. "So what do you want to do for two hours?"

"I don't know… Exploding Snap?" he suggested, and she grinned.

"Bring it on," she challenged, and they darted downstairs.

"By the way," she said.

"Yeah?"

"Get rid of that picture you have of me," she ordered, but he just laughed.

"Not any time soon," he said, and she turned and just huffed at him.

They spent the next two hours playing Exploding Snap, occasionally looking at their watches for the time. Once the clock struck midnight, James went upstairs to get the Invisibility Cloak and they slipped out into the empty seventh floor corridor.

"I haven't done anything like this before," Lily said nervously.

"I _know, _you don't need to tell me," he rolled his eyes. "And keep up, will you? We're going too slow, we're going to have to go a bit faster if we're going to have them up tonight!"

"Okay, but this is the _last time," _she warned him, and he laughed.

"Okay,"

They reached the Fat Lady, who was fast asleep.

"Darn, where are they?" he muttered. No sooner had he said this than the portrait door opened and Sirius and Remus clambered through.

"James?" Remus whispered.

"Here," James withdrew the cloak slightly, revealing him and Lily.

"_Lily-Flower?" _Sirius asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she's going to help," James grinned.

"Really?" Sirius asked, amused. "So you two made up?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lily hinted, and Sirius shut his mouth.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Remus asked. "Get us under, quick!"

"We can't all fit under this," James said worriedly. "How about you two just walk without it? There's no one in the corridor anyway,"

"If I get caught then mind you, I _will _kill you," Remus warned.

"Shut up and hurry, Moony."

They all walked over to the Room of Requirement and Lily stifled a gasp. She had never known about this room, and was curious as to what was inside. She walked through and moaned as James removed the cloak from their shoulders.

"Fashion magazines," she groaned as Remus shut the door behind them.

"That's not the best part, Flower," Sirius said excitedly. "Come here!" he dragged her to the middle of the room where he had been working on McGonagall's picture.

"Aw, yuck!" Lily covered her eyes when she saw the pictures. "Absolutely _disgusting! _Have you idiots got no shame?"

"No, actually," James shrugged, and Lily whacked him across the head.

"You expect me to put these up in the Great Hall?"

"Yep,"

"Grr…" she growled. "I'm so going to kill you…"

"Great!" Sirius clapped his hands together. "It's you and Moony versus me and Prongs."

"Shut up and get moving, Padfoot," Remus rolled his eyes, gathering a bunch of the pictures in his arms. "Boy, is she going to flip once she sees these," he added.

"That's what we're hoping," Sirius winked, scooping up some more pictures.

* * *

The next morning, when Lily and James entered the Great Hall, there was total chaos.

More than half the student population were rolling on the floor, clutching their sides, while the teachers were trying as hard as they could to remove the hundreds of pictures plastered to the walls. They couldn't, of course, seeing as Lily had done an excellent job with the Permanent Sticking Charms.

James felt something heavy against his shoulder. He looked down and saw that Lily was holding on to him to prevent herself from falling to the floor in her present state of laughter. He laughed too, and within minutes, the two of them were reduced to two shapeless, laughing heaps.

"LILY EVANS!"

Lily jerked her head upwards and found herself face-to-face with no one other than Hestia Jones, who was looking at her disapprovingly.

"What?"

"Sirius told me everything! Now explain yourself!"

"No- no- one cares, H-Hest!" she shook with laughter. "It's j-just too f-funny-"

"Have you seen McGonagall?" Sirius heaved James up from the floor, barely being able to manage it, seeing as he was laughing himself.

"N-No, where?" he asked. Sirius pointed to a spot somewhere ahead of them, and once James saw her, he collapsed again, his roars of laughter adding to the echoes all around the hall.

She was there, right at the end of the hall, a crazy look in her eyes. Realizing the futility of removing the pictures, she resolved to something desperate- blasting the walls apart and then rebuilding them.

The whole thing was just so hilarious that practically no one in the Great Hall, not even the teachers or even Professor Dumbledore, could suppress their heartfelt laughter.

"You need to promise you're not going to do that again!" Hestia ordered Lily, who just ignored her, which was understandable, because for anyone in that state of laughter, even uttering a single word would have been miraculous.

The only thing she could manage was a wink at James, who winked right back at her.

Looks like they had finally become what you could call friends.

* * *

**How was it? Hope it was okay, I tried to include all the suggestions that people gave me in this chapter! **

**Again, if you ****_do _****have any suggestions, just PM me. I'd love to hear them. **


	11. Waiting

**Hope you like this chapter... please review. **

* * *

James swept his hair out of his eyes as he head back to the castle after Quidditch practice. Sirius had gone to meet Hestia, and he was looking around for Lily; surely, if Hestia wasn't around, she would be alone?

And he found her, sitting on the banks of the Black Lake, her knees pressed against her chest and her arms curling around her legs. No one else was around, as he had hoped, so he made his way over to her.

"Hey!" he called, and she snapped her head towards him. She appeared to be in deep thought.

"I would really appreciate it if I could go five minutes being alone without you butting in," she sighed exasperatedly, and he squirmed.

"Sorry," he said, realizing that what she said was actually true. Whenever she seemed to be alone, he would always walk up to her and strike up a conversation. He made a mental note to do that less often, she was definitely suspicious.

"No, it's late, we better get going," she said, standing up and brushing herself off. James heart leapt- _we? _

"Sure," he said. "Anyway, why didn't you tell me you liked Quidditch?"

"I guess…" she trailed off. She wasn't very sure of what to say. "Well, you would've just been a big baby about it,"

"A big baby?" he raised his eyebrows. "That's the best you can come up with?"

"It's good enough for me, as long as it fits the description," she said.

"Yeah, well, who am I kidding? I guess I would have," he confessed.

"Well, you know now," she said as they walked up to the castle.

"Hey, look, it's the Mudblood!" came a snarling voice behind them. They both turned around and found themselves face-to-face with Avery, Mulciber, and a very reluctant Snape. "And her boyfriend," Avery finished.

"He is not my boyfriend!" Lily said, pausing between every word. "Anyway, where's yours, Avery? Oh, right, he's standing right behind you."

"Quit the smart talk, Mudblood," Mulciber sneered.

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" James yelled, pulling out his wand.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Avery taunted. You could almost see the fire blazing inside James' eyes as he shook in anger.

"No, just don't," Lily told him hastily. "Honestly, they're not worth it, James, just let go-"

"Like hell I'm going to let go!" he jabbed his wand in Avery's chest. "I swear, if you call her that again-"

"Or what?" Mulciber snarled, drawing his wand. Snape just stood behind the both of them, trying to conceal himself in the shadows. Obviously, he didn't want to do anything in front of Lily again.

"Snape!" Avery snapped, and Snape jumped. "Well?" Snape very reluctantly drew his wand and pointed it at James. Aware of Avery's and Mulciber's eyes on him, he cleared his throat and commented for some extra effect.

"Mudblood," he spat at Lily's feet.

"Okay that is _it!" _Lily said angrily, pulling her wand out and pointing it at Snape's throat. "You'd better run, or I swear to God, there's nothing stopping me from weaving a coat out of your hide. _Snape," _she added.

"Lily, just-" he began, but Lily had had enough. How long was this going to go on? He would call her a Mudblood, and then would beg for her forgiveness, again and again and again. She had just about had enough of it.

But James got there first.

"_Flipendo!" _he yelled, and Snape went flying a few yards, where he fell in a heap on the ground. And, of course, that triggered everything. Avery shot a spell at Lily, while Mulciber shot one at James, and ten minutes later, the two Slytherins were sprawled on the ground near Snape while James and Lily stood in the setting sun, neither of them getting so much as a single scratch. Lily replaced her wand back in her pocket while James blew on the end of his first for extra effect. Lily laughed.

"Please," she rolled her eyes. "You would have been on the ground with them if it wasn't for me, stop acting like a hero or something."

"So you think I'm a hero?" he asked hopefully, and she just rolled her eyes again.

"You wish," she snorted. "So should we just leave them here?" she asked uncertainly, looking at the three Slytherins.

"Yeah, well, you never know," he began. "Maybe Hagrid could finish the job off for us,"

"Yeah, he's wanted a reason to kill them ever since I can remember," Lily laughed. "I guess we should just leave him to it." The both of them, without even a second glance at the three figures, turned around and walked up to the castle.

"Anyway, '_weaving a coat out of your hide'?" _he grinned. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Hey, I'm not very good at threats, okay?"

"I'll say," he said. "But you could've thought of something more realistic. Who in their right minds would weave a coat out of _Roberto's _hide?"

"Yeah, I forgot you guys call him that," she laughed. 'Roberto' never got old.

"You like it, huh?" he grinned, and she nodded.

"I just can't believe Snape would call me a Mudblood again," she said quietly.

"Who cares about what he thinks? You're still the best witch in the year, and whatever he says isn't going to change that."

"Thanks, but that wasn't what I was talking about," she said as they entered the castle.

"I know, I know, he was your friend and then he just stabbed you in the back," James said. "But he's an arse. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," she smiled weakly. "Anyway," she took a deep breath as the stood in front of the Great Hall. "I'll see you later."

And with that, she darted into the hall, her long red ponytail swinging from side to side as she ran. James smiled to himself. How could she be so… _perfect? _Just looking at her was so nauseating for him. Merlin knew how he was able to even talk to her, but he was glad about it. Being, even though the word probably wouldn't fit the exact description, _friends, _was possibly the best he could wish for at the moment. I mean, at least she wasn't yelling at him or insulting him like she used to. And, for some reason, he really had to thank her for yelling at him that night. She must have felt so guilty about it it that she was trying her best to make it up to him? Yeah, that could be it. Maybe that was why she was being so nice to him.

Suddenly, he felt his stomach drop fifty feet. It was another werewolf night tonight. Merlin, how was he going to tell her? Would she let him leave without hesitation? Would he be forced to tell her about his ability to transform into an animal?

For he hadn't. Some time into their 'conversation' after she found out about the cloak, he confirmed that she had no clue about the fact that they were Animagi. He felt guilty too, after all he had told her… _I didn't want anything to hide from you anymore… _and there he was, keeping the biggest secret of all from her. He had good reason to, seeing as Lily might have lost her head completely. It would have been too much to take in for one night. And she might have even turned him and the others in, and then he would earn the wrath of his friends too. No, he was doing the right thing. What she didn't know, couldn't hurt her, right?

* * *

Lily ran into the Great Hall, searching around for Hestia.

_Good heavens, please tell me you don't have a memory problem already, she's off with Sirius, remember? _Lily thought in frustration. Hestia was going off with Sirius a lot nowadays. Maybe Remus would be there…? Okay, now she had confirmed it. She _did _have a memory problem, Remus would be in the Hospital Wing, it was a full moon night. That meant that she was left with Mary… and Peter… and Alice… and Frank, maybe.

She had never thought that she would actually be eager for James Potter's company.

She sighed and slipped into a seat beside Frank, who was in deep conversation with Alice. Peter sat opposite her, completely ignoring her and staring at a plate with a pale face and glazed-over eyes.

"Hi, Frank," Lily said. Frank turned around and smiled.

"Hi, Lily!" he said enthusiastically. She never really had anything against Frank, he had helped her out a lot of times in Tranfiguration. It had never really been her best subject, and she was too proud to go and ask for James' help.

Feeling that it would be immensely rude to ignore Alice completely, she gave her a reluctant smile.

"Hi, Alice," she said through gritted teeth. Alice seemed to notice her reluctance, but smiled back anyway.

"Hi, Lily," she said. They all sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, Mary's loud and irritating talk filling their ears. Lily seriously felt like going and slapping that big fat idiot right in her face, but held herself back. That wouldn't help matters.

"Frank, could you move over? I want to talk to Lily," Alice whispered in Frank's ear, and he obliged. Lily tried to act as if she didn't overhear, but was finding it difficult. Alice wasn't as hated as Snape, but she couldn't do it, anyway.

"Um…" Alice began. Lily just looked at her. "I just… I mean, just because of the train thing doesn't mean we have to ignore each other completely."

"Well, if we didn't ignore each other, then we would be friends, right?" Lily said, rephrasing Alice's words.

"I just miss you," Alice said quietly. Lily suddenly felt a spurt of rage engulf her. It was like Snape all over again. Except this time, it wasn't Snape. It was Alice. And no matter how much she wanted to, Lily couldn't yell at her.

"Funny," she began. "How come you didn't realize that on the train?"

"Look, Lily, Hestia told me that you're feeling a bit down. I just want to help!" Alice reasoned. "Especially since Hestia goes around with Sirius a lot these days," she added, smiling.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I really want to talk about," Lily said, trying to calm herself down. "And Hestia shouldn't have told you that,"

"What, that something's bothering you?"

"Yeah, that!" Lily gave a deep effort to control her voice. "And it's my problem, not yours. So just… _please _go away." Lily pleaded, noticing that Alice looked slightly sad.

"You know, that's why I stopped talking to you, Lily! You never tell anyone anything,"

Lily couldn't hold it in anymore. Alice was a really nice person, but this was going too far. How did she care, if Lily didn't want her to know? And she wasn't even her friend anymore, so it wouldn't matter to her anyway. Lily looked into her eyes, which were filled with that same kindness that had been there for as long as she could remember, and felt her voice catch in her throat. She couldn't do that to her.

Before she got the chance to say anything, Lily just got up and walked straight out of the Great Hall. She was aware of Alice calling her back, but she didn't turn around. And she didn't stop until she had gotten all the way up to the Heads' dorm.

She walked through the door and shut it behind her. She was about to collapse on the sofa when she heard the bathroom door creak open. Without thinking twice, Lily dashed up her stairwell and peeked out from over the railing. James walked out, clutching a wet towel and swishing the dripping hair out of his eyes. He had no idea that Lily was in the common room, which was exactly as Lily had hoped. She definitely did not want him to catch her alone again. This time, she wanted to actually have some time by herself.

She darted up the stairs and grabbed her diary and quill off her dresser. Then she sat down on the bed and propped the diary open to a page, where she had scribbled something a few days ago. She couldn't help but read it each time she opened her diary, for some reason.

* * *

_September 29_

_I really hate Hestia. Not that way, of course, she's still my best friend, but I do hate her. For something that happened around a week and a half ago. I'm not sure whether to kill myself or not. I finally confessed what I had done in the forest nearly three weeks ago, to her. And I almost immediately regretted it. _

_Good thing there was no one else around in the common room, otherwise rumors would have traveled all around the school in less than fifteen minutes. She shrieked, of course, like she always does. _

_'YOU KISSED JAMES POTTER?" she yelled, and I clapped my hand over her mouth. _

_"On the cheek! On the cheek!" I defended myself, but she just grinned through my fingers. _

_"Who cares where? You did it, you like him that's all there is to it."_

_"I do not!"_

_"Oh really?" she removed my hand from her mouth and looked me in the eyes with that typical Hestia look. "So you're telling me, you told him to call you Lily because you want to be friends? You're always blushing when he's around because you're just friends?"_

_"I do not blush!" I said firmly. _

_"How do you know? I watch you all the time, Petal, you look like you're about to throw up whenever he's around."_

_"Don't you turn green when you're about to throw up?" I corrected, and she blushed this time. _

_"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "But the point is, you like James Potter, and there's nothing you can do about it."_

_I really hate her. It's all because of her that time when she told me that I liked him, that I've been fully conscious of how many times I've been blushing in his vicinity. Of how many times I feel like I've got butterflies in my stomach, whenever I'm talking to him. I've never felt like this before. I know that I have endured Hestia's teasing before, but this time it was different. This time she actually made me believe it, for real. _

_Curse her, it's all because of her. I really feel like killing myself. That's why I'm avoiding him, why I always feel annoyed when he comes up to talk to me. _

_I really do not like this. _

* * *

It was true. Every single time, since that moment, Lily was fully aware of how much she was surrendering herself to James Potter. And it wasn't a good feeling. She tried to act nonchalant the whole time, and wasn't even sure of whether it was working or not. Each time she tried to ignore it, it would just come back again, refusing to be blown over a second time.

Good God, she didn't know who she hated more: Hestia or herself. Or even James. If he didn't just pounce on her when she least expected it, maybe she could drive that feeling away. And if Hestia hadn't said anything and had meekly accepted that she had, in fact, _'kissed' _James Potter, maybe this wouldn't have even happened. And if it weren't for her, then, well, just forget the whole thing.

That's when she noticed something else lying on her dresser. She stood up and curiously looked over; it was a letter. It must have arrived sometime when she was in class. And she knew whom the letter was from before she even looked at it properly. Who else would send her a letter, which was not delivered by the morning mail?

Evie, of course.

She picked the letter up and read:

_Lily Evans_

_Hogwarts_

It was Evie, all right. She had become extremely familiar of her handwriting by now.

_Dear Lily,_

_Hello! This is Evie Potter, James' cousin. You might not know me, but I know a lot about you! James never fails to talk about you every chance he gets. Is your favorite ice-cream flavor, by chance, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?_

Lily laughed. How on earth did James get to know that? She made a mental note to ask him when she saw him.

_Anyway, enough of that. From what James has told me, you seem like a really smart person. If we meet each other, would you care to play chess with me? You wouldn't believe the blockheads that I usually have to play against, it's truly pitiful (don't tell James I said that!). _

_I'm really mad at him. And no, that's not why I'm sending a letter to you! He just told me, in his last letter, that you knew about the werewolf thing. I just wanted to ask you, how do you feel about that? Because I know I'm worried. Something might happen to them, and then I don't know what I'd do. _

_Please, Lily, could you try and talk him out of it? He won't listen to me, and I've stopped trying. I haven't replied to his last letter, because I really thought I meant more to him than that. _

_I'm awaiting your reply! _

_Evie. _

Lily stared sadly at the letter. Evie could really become a writer someday, those last words really drove Lily to tears, almost. She glanced at the doorway quickly, and pulled a piece of parchment towards her. Then she dipped her quill in a bottle of ink and wrote:

_Dear Evie,_

_Yes, I know a lot about you too. James really talks about you, a lot. And of course, I'd love to play chess with you! Usually, I don't get good opponents, either. _

_And I'm worried about full moon nights as well. They really seem to risk everything for Remus, don't they? I think that's wonderful, but the way they do it certainly isn't. And as much as I'd love to talk some sense into those dunderheads, they just won't listen to me, either. I'm sorry, but if there was anything I could do, I'd do it. And I just can't turn them in either. I just don't think that would be the right thing to do. My suggestion is to let them work it out for themsel_v_es, they'll do the right thing. I think that time is all that they'll need to realize what is to be done. _

_Mail me anytime,_

_Lily. _

She stared at her finished letter and, nodding in satisfaction, sealed it and scribbled '_Evie Potter, the Potter Mansion' _in bold letters. She planned to mail it the next day, with one of the school owls. It certainly was very late, mailing anything now wouldn't be possible.

She set it on her dresser, putting her ink bottle on top of it, and then bounded downstairs to retrieve her Charms textbook. She had, possibly, another fifteen minutes or so before rounds. She would spend that time studying, without anyone interrupting her.

But no such luck.

No sooner had she stepped down from the stairwell than James Potter stepped inside the room, from the main door. She groaned inwardly as those butterflies took off inside her stomach, as soon as she saw him grin at her.

"Hi!" he called.

"Hi," she called back, walking over to her desk and picking up her textbook. She wasn't going to let him ruin her studying time again, as he had done a full four days in a row.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he began awkwardly, and she sighed.

"Not now, I'm busy. Some other time, okay?" she said in irritation.

"Well, if picking up a book as soon as I enter the room would make you '_busy'_…" he rolled his eyes, but then cut himself off as he saw Lily glare at him. "But anyway, no, this can be the _only _time,"

"Fine, but make it quick," she sighed.

"It's another full moon night tonight," he began.

"So I've noticed," she said coolly, knowing where this was heading. "Your point is?"

James didn't answer immediately, he was too surprised by Lily's reaction. What he told her right now was as good as telling her that he would go outside again, to help Remus. He really hadn't expected that answer. He would have to ditch that whole speech he had practiced, and come up with something really fast.

"My point is, um…" he said nervously. She narrowed her eyes at him. " I just wanted to know what you would think about us going back down again." he blurted, intimidated by Lily's death glare.

"Do whatever you think is right," she replied. She had practiced that answer as well, for a long time. That way, she had neither said yes, nor said no. It was the perfect reply, according to her.

James just stood there with a quizzical expression on his face, as Lily had expected. She almost smirked, but caught herself.

"Okay…" he trailed off. He saw her place her Charms book back and walk up to him.

"If you will, I'm late for rounds," she said curtly. He stepped aside, and she trotted up to the door and slammed it behind her.

"Why didn't she just walk around me?" he muttered to himself, and then shrugged. Who cared about that? More important things were to be handled. She had as good as told him that he could go wherever he wanted and she wouldn't care. He grinned to himself. He had prepared that entire speech for nothing. He bolted up the stairwell and grabbed the Invisibility Cloak from his trunk. In some ways, he felt unnaturally successful, but in others, he felt sadness. Mainly because he had thought that Lily had actually cared about him, and that she would mind that he would go out with an extremely brutal werewolf for half the night. But, as it turned out, she didn't.

He shook his head in order to rid himself of unnecessary thoughts, and slipped out of the dorm under the Invisibility Cloak to go and fetch Sirius and Peter.

What he didn't realize, however, was that Lily would be patrolling the seventh floor corridor… with Amos Diggory.

She was walking ahead of Amos, her arms folded and looked as if she was trying as hard as she could to get away from him. And he was behind her, running after her like a sick puppy, acting like he was begging for something. James couldn't help but edge in a bit closer.

"Come on, Lily, I'm rich, I'll buy you a whole library!" Amos pleaded.

"I'm _not _going out with you, Amos!" she said firmly. James snorted from underneath the cloak. _A whole library, my foot, _he thought despicably. _He couldn't even afford a decaying bat spleen. _

"Come on, Lily!" he reasoned. "Even James Potter wouldn't be able to buy you the things I'd be able to,"

James refrained himself from sticking out his leg to trip Amos.

"Just shut up, Amos!" she said in frustration. "Let me think in peace,"

"What are you thinking about?" he caught up to her and brushed her shoulder with his own. She cringed in disgust and held her distance from him.

"None of your business," she replied irritably. Amos didn't say anything for several seconds, during which Lily adopted a sort of a worried expression, rubbing her chin unconsciously.

"Will you still go out with me?" he asked after a few moments of silence. James backed off so that Lily wouldn't be able to hit him when she stomped in frustration. Grinning to himself, he caught up to her as soon as she stopped flailing her fists, and brought his mouth right next to her ear.

"Good job," he whispered, and then jumped backwards, which was understandable, seeing that anyone who had heard some unnatural voice call them from so closely, would definitely show some signs of reaction. Lily looked wildly around and seemed to have recognized the voice that had called her, narrowing her eyes in every possible direction, hoping to catch James' gaze some time or other.

Before she or Amos could say anything, he walked over to the Fat Lady, being careful to disguise his footsteps.

What was Lily looking so worried about? Maybe about them, going out on werewolf nights? So was she just pretending not to care when, in fact, she cared a bit too deeply? Was she trying not to show her concern, just so that she could protect her ego from further embarrassment?

Just the thought of it brought a grin to his face. Well, turned out that she was as bad at lying as he was. Too bad, for her, that he found out.

But what if it was something else? No, not likely. What else could drive her to think so deeply about? Nothing, that he knew of.

"Where were you?" Sirius whispered furiously.

"And why are you smiling?" Peter asked curiously.

"It's nothing," James waved it off, beckoning them towards the safety of the cloak. But actually, it was so much more than nothing to him that he had to keep it to himself, for now. No one else had to know.

_Just wait, _he grinned to himself. _Sometime, you'll get your chance. _

* * *

**Sorry about all my sudden endings, but I really can't help it... it's more fun this way ;) **


	12. A Little Thing Gone Wrong

Lily and Hestia walked through the Entrance Hall, the morning of Halloween, talking to each other. The Marauders were nowhere to be seen, which made the both of them extremely glad. Hestia had pointed out exactly what was on Lily's mind the previous day:

"Somehow I don't think we get to spend much time with each other anymore."

So then they had had a sort of a slumber party in the Room of Requirement the previous night, owing to the fact that Lily had informed Hestia about the wondrous room. Well, you couldn't exactly have called it a party, seeing as it was only the two of them, but it was fun anyway.

"I love Halloween," Hestia sighed suddenly, gazing longingly at the numerous decorations around the Hall. "It's full of… spookiness. Just wait- I helped the teachers to decorate the Great Hall, you'll love it,"

"Then you'd love a Halloween party," Lily said as they stepped out into the grounds.

"A party?" Hestia asked eagerly. "What party? There's a party?"

"Yeah, I heard the Marauders talking about it a few days ago." she shrugged.

"The Marauders?" Hestia asked. "You've never said 'the Marauders' before… I thought you said that was the most idiotic name ever."

"Um… spontaneity?" Lily blushed hopefully.

"Oh, stop pretending Lily," Hestia punched her shoulder. "You don't hate them anymore and you know it,"

"Fine," Lily gave in. "But anyway, about Halloween-"

"Did Lily-Flower tell you about Halloween then?"

The two girls both groaned simultaneously and turned towards the famous beech tree- property of the Marauders. They had unknowingly trespassed in the Marauders' territory, and were about to regret it.

There they were, all four of them, stretched out in the tree's shadow, Remus and James leaning against the trunk and Sirius and Peter lying down on the grass, all with bright, cocky grins on their faces. How could they have not realized that the Marauders would be sitting here? It was a Saturday morning, after all. They should have known.

"Bugger off, Black," Lily said with her chin up in the air and steering Hestia in the other direction.

"You're not happy to see me?" Sirius wiped a fake tear from his eye.

"Ever wonder why I named you 'Jerk'?" Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Sure- because we didn't want people-" Sirius began, but was cut off sharply.

"Girl bonding time!" Hestia waved her hands around. "_Hello!" _she added to give some emphasis.

"That's right, we don't want any of _you," _Lily pointed a finger disgustedly at each one of them in turn. "Interrupting us again,"

"Leave me out of this." Remus raised his arm and continued to read a book he had propped open in his lap.

"But hey, look at it this way, Lily," James began, but Sirius finished the sentence for him.

"Don't we always have some reason to?" he asked, batting his eyelashes in innocence.

"Great," Lily scoffed. "So you're saying everyone else always interrupts without a reason?"

"Look- I always interrupt so I can steal Hestia," Sirius reasoned.

"And I do it so I can-" James began, but, realizing what he was about to say, cut himself off sharply in haste. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, blushing slightly, not knowing what to say. Sirius, for once, came to his aid.

"Annoy you," he lied, and winked at James, who just gave him a small smile in return. 'Thanks', he mouthed. Lily noticed this, but tried to act casual.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Remus said nervously, watching Hestia narrow her eyes at him.

"_You're _supposed to hold them back, aren't you?" she asked, taking him by the scruff of the neck. The others shook silently with mirth.

"Hey, tell _him," _Remus went blue in the face with suffocation, jerking his thumb in James' direction. "He's Head Boy,"

Hestia released her grip on Remus' neck and stomped over to James. Remus rubbed his neck soothingly and refrained himself from punching Sirius, who was making a big show of trying to hide his sniggers with the tips of his fingers.

"You arse- You git- You nincompoop of a failure-" Hestia spat in James face. James just tried not to burst out laughing at the hilarity of it all.

"We expect you to be at the party tonight," he said a bit too offhandedly, moving his head to the side in reflex, staring at the spot where it had been a second before, where now Hestia's balled fist lay hovering.

"Nice job, Twat, bet you could take over Snotnose on the Quidditch team," Sirius said, impressed. "You should see the punches he throws- they're like getting hit by a weasel in labor-" he silenced himself with a whack by Lily.

"Yeah right, if we show up for that lousy party of yours, you can have all my fashion magazines," Hestia said scornfully.

"Really?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Anyway, just so you know, we're doing a Halloween prank tonight," James said nonchalantly.

"Because _Prongs _here," Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. "Wasn't there for the opening feast prank, so we have to reschedule,"

"Reschedule my foot!" Lily said disapprovingly. "If you-"

"You in, Lily-Flower?" Sirius asked before she could finish. Lily widened her eyes at James.

"I told you, it was only _once!" _she said. "Absolutely not, you disgusting creatures always-"

"Creative, Flower," Sirius said. "How can you always think of new insults each time?"

"Oh, screw off," Lily said in irritation, grabbing Hestia's arm and dragging her away from them. The both of them just ignored Sirius' shouts and walked as fast as they could over to a tree about a hundred feet away from them.

"Great job, Hest, you wanted to go to that party so bad," Lily shook her head.

"So?" she shrugged. "I'll still go, and refuse to give him my magazines." Lily just shook her head again.

"Huh, and who knows what they're prank is going to be?" she said in worry. "We don't want them to mess up Halloween, do we?"

"Yeah, but if you recall, none of their pranks have ever messed up anything," Hestia winked, and Lily smiled.

"I guess you're right…"

"Anyway, do you believe me _now, _Petal?" Hestia looked at her eagerly.

"Um… believe what, exactly?" Lily said in bafflement.

"That you really, really like James Potter?" she asked, and Lily just couldn't stop the blush from creeping up her features.

"No," she looked away, hoping that Hestia didn't see it. But it was futile; Hestia never missed _anything. _She could feel Hestia's winning eyes piercing her from the side, but didn't give her the satisfaction of seeing her give in. Nope, she just stared right out across the Black Lake, where, consequently, the Marauders were all sitting huddled up together. Darn. She couldn't stop her eyes from locking on to him, no matter how much she wanted to look away. Then, out of nowhere, she felt as if her insides had all gone numb in… longing? Whatever.

She tried not to act as if she knew of Hestia watching her; tried not to act as if those words of hers hadn't had much effect on her; tried to act as if she didn't really like James Potter.

But then she knew- all this time, she was only kidding herself. So what if she did? No matter what, she would try to push the feeling out of her.

Even though it was harder than impossible.

* * *

They were at the Halloween feast.

"Wow, Hest, you weren't exaggerating," Lily darted around her in wonderment. "You guys really did a great job!"

"I know, right?" Hestia folded her arms smugly.

The Great Hall didn't look like a Great Hall at all. It was spun into such a spooky thing, that there wasn't even a single spot that didn't speak of Halloween. Live bats soared over their heads; a dozen of Hagrid's giant pumpkins lay scattered around the tables, and… zombies? It certainly seemed like it, _zombies _bewitched to walk around and creep people out were sneaking up behind people and saying in a whisper, 'Boo', or other scary stuff like that.

"But, um… did you stop to think that with those things staggering around the hall like the undead just might make people lose their appetite?" she asked in disgust.

"Nope, didn't really think of that," Hestia said thoughtfully. "Wait-" she drew her wand and the zombies froze in their spots.

"I didn't know you mastered the Freezing Charm," Lily said, impressed.

"It's _N.E.W.T. _year!" Hestia rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, giving a very good impression of Lily.

"Shut up," Lily waved her off.

"Hey!" Hestia said suddenly. Lily looked at her curiously.

"What?" she asked.

"Where are they?" she asked, and Lily knew instantly what she was talking about. Where were they, really? She knew that they had to do the prank thing, but for _so _long?

No sooner did she think this than three masked figures came zooming in the hall on broomsticks.

* * *

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were standing in a huddled group in the Entrance Hall, which was empty as they had hoped.

"Come on, Prongsie-Pie, we could just sneak over and steal some Slytherin robes, no one would know it was us and those idiots would get killed for it-" Sirius pleaded.

"Padfoot! You know we can't do that-" James sighed.

"No, Sirius has a point…" Remus said with a mischievous glint in his eye. The others just looked at him in astonishment.

"_Moony!" _they all said incredulously.

"No, listen!" Remus calmed them down. "We could take their Quidditch robes, and then just remove the name on the back. That way, even if they are in the Great Hall, no one would know which Slytherins did it and it would all be okay."

"But then what would be the use?" Sirius asked, bemused. "If they don't know which Slytherin did it, then what's the use of wearing it in the first place?"

"Ah, Padfoot…" James shook his head. "You're missing the whole point!"

"Okay, fine," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'll go get them."

"Hurry up, the feast is about to start,"

"Look! It's already started! We're about fifteen minutes too late,"

"Who cares? We'll just crash in on them,"

"Now _that _is talking like a true Marauder,"

"Got 'em!" Sirius said happily, brandishing three over-sized Quidditch robes. "I even erased the names on the back. No need to thank me," he added a bit too modestly.

"Shut up and hand them over, Padfoot," James snatched one of them from him and threw it over his Hogwarts robes. "Yuck. I knew Slytherins were big, but not _this _big," he pulled at his baggy robes.

"Well, we know who to thank for that," Sirius slipped on his robes.

"Who?"

"Me, of course,"

"_You?" _they laughed. "We have to thank you for making the Slytherins all big and fat?" Remus added.

"Yeah!" Sirius said. "Remember that time-"

"No, don't remind us," James said. "We have to get in that hall real quick if we have to get on with the prank."

"Yeah," Peter said. For some reason, he looked paler than usual and was perspiring profusely.

"Anyway, sorry for not including you in this, Wormtail…" James apologized. "But Merlin knows you're not a very good flier,"

"_Not a very good flier?" _Sirius snorted under his breath. They all ignored him, with the exception of Peter blushing a bit.

"Oh well," he shrugged. "I'm okay with it. Just try not to mess it up too much, okay?" he clapped James on the back.

"Okay," he nodded. "Masks on, brooms up, really small bags in hand, people. Remember, one full sweep and then out of there,"

"Right," Remus nodded, pulling the black mask over his face. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this…"

"Relax, Moony, no one'll know it's us," Sirius assured him.

"Yeah, right," Remus snorted. "Their instinct will tell them to look over to the Gryffindor table, and then they'll see that we're not here. Oh joy," he added in mock happiness.

"We're wearing Slytherin robes, remember?" James said.

"And everyone knows we hate Slytherins,"

"Yeah, well, who doesn't hate 'em?" Sirius piped up.

"Calm down, Moony! We've got it all under control," James waved his and to stop all further discussion. "Wormtail, better hide behind that pumpkin over there, in case Filch gets out tonight," Peter obliged, ducking behind a massive pumpkin.

"Okay, on my count," James took a deep breath. The others stood in an alert position on either side of him, ready to blast the doors open at a moment's notice. "One," Remus fidgeted slightly, tightening his grip on the broom handle. "Two," Sirius let out a deep breath. "Three!" They barged into the Great Hall. And were very much aware of everyone's eyes on them and they made one full sweep of the Hall.

* * *

"Looks like I spoke too soon," Lily sighed as the three figures zoomed into the hall and started to drop giant jack-o-lanterns from their tiny bags. No doubt the bags had an Undetectable Expansion Charm put on them.

"Ha! Ingenious!" Hestia laughed. "Sytherin robes- I wouldn't have thought of that!"

"Something's wrong, Hest," Lily rubbed her chin in thought as everyone in the hall put their arms over their heads, afraid of being hit by the lively jack-o-lanterns, which, as soon as they hit the ground, came to life. Lily ducked as one came hurtling past her and quirked her eyebrow in thought. Something was _definitely _wrong.

Once the figures had left the hall, everyone's heads automatically turned to the Gryffindor table, checking if the Marauders were still there. Once assured that they weren't, the totally unsurprised students and teachers gasped in incredulity.

Why? Because the dozens of jack-o-lanterns which were dropped in the hall, were growing in size and were barring their teeth menacingly.

Then they started to attack.

Screams erupted in Lily's ears as everyone scrambled to their feet and were trying to make a run for the door. She looked wildly around her as she saw the murderous pumpkins slashing and gnawing and biting the unsuspecting victims.

* * *

The Marauders dismounted their brooms, removed their masks and Sytherin robes, and handed them to Peter who at once darted up the staircase to shove them in the nearest broom closet.

"Perfect," Remus sighed with relief.

That's when the crowd stampeded out of the Great Hall, pushing and screaming each other to get away from the villainous jack-o-lanterns.

"What the-" Sirius gasped in surprise, but wasn't able to complete his sentence seeing as people were dashing past him, shoving him roughly from all sides.

James just stared. What in the hell was this? They hadn't charmed the pumpkins to act like this. Then who had?

He didn't allow himself a second thought as he focused his attention on the situation. He ran towards the Great Hall, as opposed to everyone else. It was proving difficult, seeing as one person against thousands was clearly a losing game. But nonetheless he pushed his way through the doors, feeling Sirius and Remus coming in from right behind him.

Inside it was utter chaos. One or two of the pumpkins (which were now reaching about eight feet in height) had escaped into the Entrance Hall, while the rest were still cluttered in the Great Hall. He noticed Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick taking down a particularly large one, and Professor Sprout and Professor Slughorn fight another…

That's when he noticed her. She was sitting at the Gryffindor table, a faraway look in her eyes, with Hestia pulling her arm desperately. She didn't seem to take in the whole situation.

He sprinted up to her, Sirius and Remus close behind him, and took her other arm.

"Lily, come on!" he said impatiently. Sirius pulled Hestia off of Lily and took her other arm.

"Let's go, Lily-Flower!" He tugged at her.

"Oh, what?" Lily snapped out of her reverie and looked up to see James and Sirius standing over her, looking at her with an air of desperation. Her eyes darted across the hall, taking everything in, and she jumped to her feet.

"What the hell?" She yelled, taking her wand out and shrugged James and Sirius off of her.

"We'll explain later, now we have to get out of here!" Remus said, constantly glancing over his shoulder.

"You can go, but I'm staying here," Lily said firmly, and they all smiled.

"I'm taking that one," James grinned, pointing at a particularly ferocious-looking one. Lily just gaped at him, and he winked at her.

"I'm with you, mate." Sirius drew his wand with a vicious look in his eyes. Lily had never seen Sirius like this before, he was always… cheery. She smiled automatically

"Guess that leaves me, Remus and you," Hestia concluded.

"And me," Alice came running into the hall, panting.

"Me too," Frank came up from behind her, dodging a swipe from a jack-o-lantern.

"Okay, people let's get to it, we need to send these orange balls of delight back packing," Hestia clapped her hands together and they ran across the hall, dueling giant pumpkins. One swipe here, one duck there, one spell here, one dodge there. It was a full out battle, between pumpkins and wizards.

Within fifteen minutes, all that was left in the Great Hall was pumpkin pulp, sticking to the walls and the floor. The seven Gryffindors stood sheepishly in front of the teachers and Professor Dumbledore, occasionally wiping the pulp out of their eyes or hair.

"Okay, we give in, we did it," James confessed, trying not to wince in pain from the gash on his left leg.

"You better have a good explanation for this," McGonagall narrowed her eyes in irritation, repairing the cut on her arm.

"Okay," Remus said. "It was us- me, James and Sirius,"

"_You, _Lupin?" McGonagall said incredulously.

"Honestly, don't look so surprised, Professor," he rolled his eyes.

"But look-" Sirius begged, and for once was not acting flirtatious in front of McGonagall. She tried not to notice the sudden change, but could not conceal her surprise. Sirius, however, ignored her. "It wasn't us! We didn't put that charm on them, we didn't do that! Honest,"

McGonagall couldn't help but believe him. Apparently, Dumbledore did too.

"Mr. Black, we have no reason not to believe you," Dumbledore began calmly. "Nor do we have any reason to,"

"So, um… what exactly are you saying, Professor?" James asked curiously.

"However, if, in fact, someone else did it, then nothing is to be gained from not believing you," Dumbledore finished.

"So you're saying you believe us, sir?" Remus asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to," he replied. "But the more important question is, who did it? And why?"

"So does this mean… we're going to be let off easy?" Sirius asked.

"You think…" McGonagall said menacingly. "That you're going to be 'let off easy' when you barge into the hall in the middle of the feast, on _broomsticks, _wearing Slytherin robes to get them in trouble, and drop jack-o-lanterns on people's heads without permission?"

"No. I guess not," Sirius gulped.

"You'd better guess not," McGonagall snarled. "Detention, all three of you, tomorrow morning. You're going to have to clean this mess up-"

"That's all?" James breathed a sigh of relief.

"_Without magic." _McGonagall completed her sentence, and they all groaned.

"Yes, that's all very fine, Minerva," Dumbledore cut in. "But until we can find the person responsible for this, I'm afraid we are going to have to take drastic action. First it was the carriage ride… then this? It's all very funny…"

After a few whispered conversations with McGonagall, Dumbledore turned back to the seven Gryffindors standing in front of him.

"You may go now," he said. "We will discuss this tomorrow. And be sure to pay a visit to the Hospital Wing," he added, letting his eyes fall on each one of them in turn and the injuries that they had suffered.

Without a word, they marched out of the Great Hall, Lily and James heading up to the Heads' dorm and the rest heading back to the Gryffindor Tower. None of them obeyed Dumbledore's request of going to the Hospital Wing, even though some of them had some really nasty cuts and bruises.

"Slytherin robes was going too far," Lily said, taking out her wand and repairing the damage done to her left arm as they entered the dorm.

""It was Padfoot's idea," James let himself down carefully on the sofa.

"So the party's off?"

"You think?" James' laugh was empty of all energy.

"You know Filch is going to kill you, right?" Lily said, staring out into the corridor. No one was to be seen, which was understandable, as they had all retreated to their common rooms in fright.

"For what?" James groaned.

"Leaving a blood trail in the corridor," she said disgustedly.

"Really?" James managed to pick himself up and walk over to the door.

"No, no, no!" Lily moaned, and he stopped in his tracks. "Get back over there, the floor is all… bloody now."

"Oops," he gave a hollow laugh, staring at the floor. "Do you think you could…?" he pointed to his leg, and she nodded. With a flick of her wand, bandages wound themselves around his leg and he sighed with relief.

"Much better," he said. "Thanks."

"No problem," she shrugged. "You didn't know how to do that?"

"I don't memorize every page of every textbook, Lily," he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," she said. "But at least clean up the mess you made. Don't tell me you don't know how to do that!"

"Fine," he said, and cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand.

"But what about the corridor?" she asked.

"Nah, I'll leave that to Filch," he said offhandedly, ducking to escape the whack that Lily was about to give him.

"You _do _know that he'll know it's you?"

"How so?"

"Well, for one thing, the blood trail leads right to our dorm," she said, and he laughed in realization.

"I guess so," he said thoughtfully. "Oh well, let him find out, I already have one detention, he can't give me another,"

"You don't know that," they both sat down on the sofa in silence. Neither of them felt like sleeping, giving the events of the night, but knew that they didn't have much of a choice.

"So, anyway…." James cleared his throat. "Goodnight," he got up and was making his way towards his stairwell when he heard Lily call him back.

"James!" she felt her lips move automatically, and clapped a hand over them, but he had already heard. "um…" she said awkwardly, and he raised his eyebrows. "If you could… I just… don't want to be alone." She said very stupidly, and began blushing violently. She expected him to laugh or something, but he didn't.

"Hey, that all?" he asked, but she didn't say anything. He walked back over to the sofa and sat down beside her.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked, and she nodded very slowly.

"I guess," she said quietly. She didn't add that all she had wanted was his company, or that she just wanted someone to pull her together. Right then, every single depressing feeling she had every gotten came back to her in full force, and tears were threatening to break out in her eyes. Severus. And Alice. And her father. And Petunia. And the fact that she couldn't tell him anything.

"Yeah, me too," he confessed. That's when he saw her eyes- shinier than ever, illuminated by the firelight and making small lights dance in them. He could see the tears that she was trying so hard to suppress.

"Lily?" he asked, and she turned her head towards him. It was no use; he knew something was wrong already. How long would she have to pretend? That everything was all right when it actually wasn't?

"Yeah?" she asked, and she couldn't stop the sob from escaping her lips.

"Is anything wrong?"

Without warning, she burst into tears. And once she started to cry, she couldn't stop. It all just came spilling out of her, like one big waterfall, and she couldn't do anything about it. She felt James' arm around her, and was glad that he had the sense to not say anything. She tried to capture every moment that he was there with her, hugging her in comfort, not saying anything and just letting her cry on his shoulder. She could not get enough of it, feeling herself calm down at his touch, absorbing that soothing feeling he was offering her.

How long she had her head leaned against his shoulder, she didn't know. All she knew was that she was savoring every minute of it, all the way until dawn broke out over the horizon, when he gently pushed her off him and went up to his room to change.

She sighed.

What she didn't know was that the second James was out of her sight, he had punched his fist in the air in triumph, unwilling to believe that he had just spent one whole night with Lily Evans, well, not exactly, but he had had her there, leaning on his shoulder for one whole night without yelling at him. And he didn't do a single thing wrong!

"HA!" he yelled into his pillow, so that she couldn't hear. Who would have believed it?

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NO QUIDDITCH PRACTICE?" James yelled in Professor McGonagall's face, right after Sirius, Remus, and himself had spent every ounce of energy in their bodies to tidy up the Great Hall and she had called him in to talk to her.

"Professor Dumbledore says it's too dangerous!" McGonagall said sternly, shoving him backwards off of her. "Believe me, Potter, I would have let you if I could, but-"

"THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" he yelled, trying to control his anger. "CANCELLING QUIDDITCH PRACTICE BECAUSE SOME FAT _PUMPKINS _ATTACKED US-"

"You very well know that there is more to it than just 'some fat pumpkins that attacked us'!" McGonagall said irritably. "Now get out of my sight, Potter,"

James, breathing heavily, stomped out of McGonagall's office, his eyes flaring angrily, and literally collided into Remus.

"How did it go?" he asked, pushing James off him. "What did she say?"

"No Quidditch practice," he mumbled.

"WHAT?" Sirius yelled, and many people walking past stared at him. "Carry on, people," he waved to the spectators, and they all shrugged and continued to walk. He turned back to James and added in a whisper, "What does she mean, '_No Quidditch practice'?" _

"That's exactly what I said, mate," James sighed. "But she says that Dumbledore think it's for the best."

"She can't _do _that!" Sirius said. "Lemme go in and talk to her, maybe I can convince her-"

"Whoa!" Remus stepped in front of them so that he couldn't proceed. "With you convincing her, Sirius, I think there's a high chance that she'll take away your broomsticks as well,"

"But how- what-" Sirius spluttered.

"Relax," James grinned mischievously. "I have an idea,"

"An idea?" Remus asked incredulously.

"You get ideas?" Sirius caught on.

"Who knew?"

"Honestly, old chap, you ought to have told us-"

"Just shut up!" James sighed, burying his face in his hands and groaning. They shut their mouths, all right, but nevertheless continued to grin at each other. "Look- why don't we just practice in the Room of Requirement?"

Sirius and Remus just stared at him, their faces blank of any expression.

"The Room of Requirement?"

"You've _got _to be joking,"

"No one knows about it other than us! And Lily-Flower,"

"So what?" James asked. "It'll only be like five more people,"

"But they could tell everyone else!" Sirius reasoned.

"They won't," James promised. "Now are we going to check out the room or what?"

"No can do, chum," Sirius shook his head sadly. "These poor old legs of mine aren't carrying me anywhere,"

"I'll say," Remus said. "My hands are all numb from all the scrubbing and washing and mopping-"

"Come on!" James pleaded. "No one will know! See, the corridors are all deserted and I'm sure you guys can go that far. It's only a couple of floors above us,"

"What's a couple of floors above us?"

James turned around and groaned. Did Lily and Hestia always turn up at the worst of times?

"Gryffindor Tower?" he said hopefully.

"Oh, you guys can't fool us," Lily walked straight up to him and narrowed her eyes very close to his face.

"Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!" Sirius chanted. Lily and James both blushed and Hestia did Lily the liberty of taping Sirius' mouth shut.

"Thank you," Lily said breathlessly, and turned back to James, lowering her head slightly. "Now you tell me where you guys think you're going, or-"

"Or she swears she will go and tell Professor Dumbledore about this," Hestia finished, in a very accurate mimick of Lily.

"Yes. Exactly," Lily said, as the others sniggered. "Don't laugh at me, James Potter!" she said forcefully. "If anything you're doing is going to break any rules-"

"It's not," he said truthfully, and she scrutinized him for a few seconds, as if trying to find out whether or not he was lying, before she huffed and turned her back on him.

"Let's go, Hest," she grabbed Hestia's arm and marched her towards the staircase. Just before she went up the staircase, she turned and gave James a small smile, before she darted up the steps as fast as her legs could carry her.

James grinned to himself- he knew what she meant, he could read her… _Thanks for last night…_ that's what she meant to say to him, through that smile.

_Thanks for last night. _

The words rang through his ears a dozen times every second.

_Thanks for last night. _

* * *

They were inside the Room of Requirement, gaping at their surroundings, which had turned into a massive Quidditch field.

"I didn't know it could do that," Remus said, surprised.

"Well, now that we know it can, we can have our practice in here!" James clapped his hands together in excitement. "Oh, and look- seven _Nimbus Five Hundreds? _That's great, we can practice with these." Sure enough, seven superb broomsticks lay near the hoops.

"Ohh, I've never flown a Nimbus Five Hundred before!" Sirius darted towards them with his eyes shining with excitement. "Come to Papa!" he added stupidly, kissing the broom handle and hugging it to him.

"I see Hestia's got some competition," Remus rolled his eyes, trying not to act like an idiot as he let the smooth wood of the broom ran through his fingers, trying hard to conceal the expression of longing threatening to break out on his face. Sirius just stuck his tongue out at him.

"Hey, Padfoot, could you do me a favor?" James asked, acting totally uncaring about the broomsticks which Sirius and Remus were both acting very loving with. No doubt he already owned one.

"A favor? What sort of favor? You've never asked me to do you a favor before!" Sirius snapped his head towards him excitedly.

"Hey, Moony, could you do me a favor?" James ignored him, and turned to Remus. Sirius just pouted at him.

"Yeah, what is it?" Remus asked, keeping the broomstick back down on the floor, his eyes showing great pain from parting with his beloved Nimbus Five Hundred.

"Tell the Quidditch team about this, and to continue with the practice times, except it's going to be in this room instead. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Remus shrugged.

"I could've done that," Sirius mumbled sadly.

"Okay, quit mating with the broomstick, and let's get out of here," James beckoned him towards the door.

"Aw, why?" Sirius whined staring longingly at the outstanding broomstick, slowly caressing its shiny handle.

"Because lunch is in fifteen minutes, knothead," Remus didn't even have to hoist him to his feet as Sirius ran across the room (Quidditch pitch), threw the door open, and sprinted across the corridor screaming.

"I'm starvingggg!" he yelled as he disappeared down the staircase.

"Sometimes I'm ashamed of him," Remus shook his head, poking his head outside the door.

"Yeah, but what can we do?" James pushed Remus out the door and shut it behind him. "He's always starving."

"Do you want to save ourselves from the 'Padfoot Stuffing Himself Attack' and just go for lunch in a half hour or something?" Remus asked, considering himself.

"Who says he's going to be done eating in half an hour?" James laughed, pulling Remus down the staircase. "Let's just deal with it, what's the worse he can do?"

* * *

"Okay, I take myself back, I know what's the worse he can do," James wrinkled his nose in disgust, wiping redcurrant sauce off his face as Sirius continued to shove food into his mouth, splattering his surroundings with bits of food as the people around him cringed in distaste.

"Yuck, Padfoot!" Remus slapped away some mint icing, flecked with crumbs of sweet barley cake, from his arm, looking at Sirius with an air of disapproval.

"Mmf," Sirius managed to get out of his mouth, seeing as it was already stuffed with handfuls of garnished shrimp, with a pinch of nutmeg and cream.

"You just took away my appetite, Sirius!" Lily groaned as bits of the stuff splattered her in the face.

"Dweadfuwwy thauwy, Miwady," Sirius said in a muffled voice.

"He says, "Dreadfully sorry, Milady," Remus translated, and Lily just shook her head in disapproval.

"Oh, forget lunch, this nincompoop has totally ruined it." Lily got up, eagerly followed by Hestia, who was just as glad to get out of Sirius' spitting range.

Lily didn't notice James' eyes following her all the way out of the hall, looking at her in longing, in desire.

He was able to ignore Sirius' horrendous eating habits, just as long as his eyes were fixed on her. As she disappeared from the hall, he sighed in yearning. Those words still spoke out loudly inside his head.

_Thanks for last night._


	13. Two Choices

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does. **

* * *

James lay down on the sofa, his head leaning against the arm and his feet propped up by some fluffy pillows. No one was around. Lily had gone to the library, with a reluctant Hestia tagging along. And the others were at lunch, grimacing as Sirius ate voraciously.

In other words, he was alone, with only his thoughts to occupy him…

_"Potter!"_

_James turned around and immediately caught sight of McGonagall, her normally tight bun askew and her books balanced precariously on her left arm, walking in a fast trot towards him. _

_"Professor?" he asked. _

_"I have talked to Professor Dumbledore," she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and tried to keep her voice level through all the panting. "He says that you may be allowed to practice Quidditch, through supervision by Madam Hooch,"_

_"Oh!" James was able to say._

_"Well?" McGonagall narrowed her eyes. She didn't get the happiness and joy that she had expected from him. "You may use the Quidditch Pitch, but it will be decreased from five times to three times a week, and the match is to be held a week early."_

_"A week early?" James asked incredulously. "We get three days a week for practice and the match is a week early?"_

_"Precautions, Potter," McGongall said sternly. "Precautions. Now are you going to schedule your practices or are you just going to stand there? I know how important this match is to you,"_

_"Um, well…. Sorry, Professor," James said awkwardly. _

_"What do you mean?" she asked. _

_"I'm not going to schedule the practices,"_

_"WHAT?" McGonagall yelled, and blushed slightly as people in the hall began to stare at her. "Potter, I've gone through all that to get you a few days of practice, and you refuse? What sort of nonsense is this?"_

_"Well, sorry, Professor, I just don't want to practice on the Quidditch field!" and without another word, James turned on his heel and walked over to his next class, grinning to himself as McGonagall registered what he had just said._

_"Don't want to practice on the Quidditch field…?" McGonagall murmured to herself. James could practically see her eyes widen in realization. "POTTER! WHAT IN THE NAME OF-" she screeched. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO BE PRACTICING?" _

_But James had already thrown open the door to the Charms classroom, and shut it in her face. _

James chuckled to himself. He had caught McGonagall in a wide net of curiosity and confusion, not to mention anger and flabbergastation.

He got up slowly. It was the Monday a week after Halloween, and that meant that they had the Charms project to work on next. He stretched and rambled over to his desk, where he picked up his Charms textbook and slipped it into his book bag. Good thing Lily was his partner in Charms, she was, by far, the best at it in the whole year. And also, he liked to be in her company, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

He decided to walk down to the classroom alone, as he had done many times over the past week. People often wondered why James Potter, the most popular guy in school, was seen wandering around alone, but he had his own reasons.

Reasons, that he himself didn't know.

But sometimes, he had gotten dreams… strange dreams, that too. And almost always, the same frightening dream haunted him many nights in the running. Dreams about Bellatrix… and his aunt and uncle, lying faceless in a pool of blood, with Voldemort cackling above their maimed bodies, with Bellatrix smiling evilly beside him… wearing a crown and her eyes red and unseeing. And the most terrifying one of them all… Evie, her hair floating as if in water, her eyes rolled up so that only the whites were visible, an ever-growing black patch spreading across the front of her favorite light pink pajamas, falling, falling, falling… and there was Bellatrix, pushing her… riding a humungous purple stuffed unicorn which looked strangely like Toto, her villainous laugh lost in the screams issuing from all sides…

And that was when he would wake up.

The dreams would keep him up all night for many nights, afraid to look out of the window, fearing that he would see Evie's pale, dead face looming out in the darkness, afraid to look in the mirror, fearing that he would see the figures of his dead aunt and uncle standing where he should have been, afraid to look down the stairwell, fearing that Bellatrix would stride up, cackling evilly.

Maybe that was why he would walk alone? No matter, but during the day, those memories were driven from his mind by the antics of Sirius, by the perfection of Lily, by the horrible burden that the N.E.W.T.s were laying on him. During the day, he was almost cheerful.

He threw open the door to the Charms classroom, and at once, knew he was late. Everyone else was already seated in their places, and Flitwick was already there, apparently narrating a talk of importance to the class. Suddenly, Flitwick stop speaking when he saw James in the doorway, and everyone turned their heads to look at him as well.

"Mr. Potter," Fliwick cleared his throat. "We are late. _Again. _For the fourth time in the past week,"

"Sorry, Professor," James muttered sheepishly, aware of everyone's eyes on his, but not caring to lock them with his own. Except for Lily, maybe. He stared into her eyes, which were looking at him as if she was trying to figure something out. With great difficulty, he tore his eyes away from her and turned to look at Flitwick instead, who was looking at him in a disapproving manner.

They just continued to look. For several seconds- the class was looking at him, he was looking at Flitwick, and Flitwick was looking back as if trying to figure out what was wrong. He saw Flitwick rub his chin for a second, before beckoning him to sit down in his usual seat.

He walked over slowly, and almost tripped over his own feet as he walked past Sirius' desk. He caught the desk for support, and was aware of Sirius grabbing his arm in instinct, afraid that he would fall.

"Woah! You okay, Prongs?" he heard Sirius ask, and he nodded automatically.

"Yeah!" he said, aware that it was the only day in which he was acting strange. By strange, he meant that he was acting the way he did at night- depressed, afraid. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and stood up carefully.

"You were saying, Professor?" he asked to break the silence, as he sat down beside Lily.

'Oh!" Fliwick snapped out of his trance. "Nothing of great importance, Mr. Potter, you may carry on with your work,"

Suddenly, the class was full of the familiar buzz of talk and laughter, and he smiled at Lily, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"So, where were we last time?" he asked, opening his textbook, but she just continued to stare at him.

"That can wait," she snapped his book shut. "First, you have to tell me- what's wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me? Who said there was anything wrong with me? There's nothing wrong with me," he said a bit too fast and unconvincingly.

"Yeah right," she rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with me," he repeated a bit more firmly, and she raised her eyebrows a fraction of an inch.

"I don't think I believe you," she said curtly.

"Okay," he replied coolly. He didn't really feel like telling anyone about his dreams just yet- they'd think he was mad or something. Nope, it was his secret to keep, after all, no one had the right to know.

Lily looked slightly surprised at James' effective comeback. She wasn't able to think of anything to say.

"Oh!" she took in a small amount of air in disconcertion. "Okay, then… um… I wonder what happens if you combine the effects of a Drought Charm and a Water-Making one?"

"Can you even do that?" James laughed, glad that Lily had caught on and had decided not to question him further.

They spent the next hour or so paying undivided attention towards their project, trying to come up with never-even-heard-of-before symptoms for a Charm, never straying towards any other topic even for a second. James' dedication towards their work actually made Lily worry about him a bit. He never, _ever _paid this much deliberation towards their choices, or this much adherence to studies. Especially in _Charms, _where people took advantage of Flitwick, who always took everything too lightly. She didn't know whether to be proud or apprehensive.

By the end of the class, they had gotten nowhere, as usual. They rarely ever got anywhere, but that was besides that point. This time, Lily was actually aware of the fact that they had gotten nowhere. But she didn't pursue it. In fact, she didn't pursue anything, as they walked out of the classroom in silence, all the way until they separated to be reunited with their friends.

Hestia ran to catch up with Lily, and noticed her looking at James like she was worried or something.

"Hey, Petal! What's wrong?" she asked, putting her arm around her shoulder. Lily's eyes snapped back towards Hestia in haste.

"Nothing," she lied. Hestia raised her eyebrows, but she just grinned it away.

It was a pattern, she thought. A very familiar pattern- asking if you're alright, and then you lie and say 'nothing'. It was all so repetitive, it was annoying. How long would you have to pretend? Why not just come clean, say what's on your mind?

The answer was very simple- so many questions, and yet such an obvious answer. Because you're afraid, because you fear the outcome.

Lily sighed inwardly. Why must everyone show fear? No matter how tough you try to become, you always have a feeling of dread for one thing or another.

There was only one question Lily had for herself.

_Why? _

* * *

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was huddled inside the Room of Requirement, a day before the first Quidditch match. James was giving them a small word of encouragement, before they departed for their dormitories before the nine o' clock curfew.

"Okay! Listen, team," he began, and everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him in anticipation. "I know we haven't beat Slytherin in five years, but this year we have something they haven't,"

"You mean other than seven Nimbus Five Hundreds?" a Chaser asked.

"Um… Yeah," James quirked an eyebrow, but nevertheless continued. "Well, first of all, courtesy of the Room of Requirement, we've got seven Nimbus Five Hundreds. Second of all, the Slytherins haven't got a clue that we're practicing in here, which gives us an advantage."

"How so?" the same Chaser asked.

"Well, look at it in their point of view- we've refused McGonagall's offer of the Quidditch pitch three times a week, so they'll naturally assume that we've given up or something,"

"Yeah, because they've got heads thicker than-" Sirius snorted, but James cut him off.

"Yeah, so they've got an additional three days a week for practice. But who cares? We've spent as much time practicing as they have, maybe even more."

"The element of surprise," Snotnose the Beater said, impressed (for neither James nor Sirius had asked what his real name was yet).

"Yes. If luck plays in our favor, then we'll have tomorrow's game in the bag," James grinned.

"_If luck plays in our favor. Honestly?" _Sirius muttered under his breath, but no one really heard him.

"Okay! So get a good night's sleep, guys, we've got a match to play tomorrow," James concluded, and everyone started to murmur among themselves in excitement. James got up and had started to make his way towards the door when someone called him back.

"Wait!"

He turned around and noticed that the same Chaser from before had put her hand up and was waiting to ask a question. "How will we explain how we got the Nimbus Five Hundreds?"

"Easy," James winked. "I'll just say I offered,"

* * *

"Aaaand, nice shot from Gryffindor Chaser Develyn Bell, goes right through the central hoop, that makes the score 80- 30 for Gryffindor, yeah, that's right, Develyn," the Quidditch commentator, a sixth-year boy from Ravenclaw, cheered as Develyn made the goal and the Slytherin Keeper swore loudly. "Hey, that's not allowed!" he added, as the Slytherin Beater purposely hit an incoming Bludger right into Develyn's stomach.

"Hey! You okay?" James zoomed in from behind her, gripping her shoulder with one of his hands so that she wouldn't fall. Distantly, he heard Madam Hooch's whistle blow loudly, signaling the penalty, courtesy of Slytherin Beater Kane, whom Sirius was giving a piece of his mind at the moment.

"Yeah," Develyn nodded. "But I don't think I'll be able to take the penalty…"

"Come on, you've got to try!" James said desperately. "You'll be able to do it, now go!" he gave her a light shove, and with great difficulty, she accepted the Quaffle from Madam Hooch and bobbed her way over to the hoops. James held his breath a few yards away, hoping that she would make the goal. They were only ahead by fifty points; it was so much better than what they had done last year, but James still had a feeling that Slytherin could win.

"Come on….!" He muttered furiously to himself, hardly daring to tear his eyes away from the hoops as Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

Develyn threw the Quaffle as hard as she could, wincing at the wrong moment, considering the fact that her stomach was as sore as hell. Wrong moment was right; no sooner had she thrown the Quaffle that her arm moved automatically towards her stomach. James watched as the Quaffle sped through the air, hardly daring to breathe as he saw it was going to miss by at least a foot…

And then it happened- the Quaffle readjusted its course, as if by magic, passing straight through the center of the right hoop. Gryffindor cheers filled his ears as he tried to take in the situation.

But how? He had _seen it _heading towards the left of the hoop… and then it just turned. _As if by magic, _he thought again, shrewdly scanning the stands for what he was looking for.

And then he saw her, her wand out, camouflaged beside her robes, he cheeks flushing as bright as her vibrant red hair, in shame. She was watching him, but as soon as he looked at her, she turned to stare at something else.

Lily Evans? _Cheating? _James could hardly believe it, but grinned to himself all the same. So what if she broke the rules? No one knew, and that was good enough for him.

"Great shot, Develyn!" he called, tilting his broom forwards so that he could glide towards her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"You sure you can play? I could call in a substitute," he reasoned, but she just shook her head.

"I said I'm fine, now let's go, there's the whistle!" and without another word, Develyn sped off towards the middle of the pitch.

"Okay, so there's Slytherin Chaser Pucey with the Quaffle, and there he goes-" the commentator exclaimed, and James snapped back to reality. Pucey was speeding towards him, Quaffle in hand, a menacing look in his eyes.

"Hold your ground, Prongs!" Sirius yelled as he smacked a Bludger towards Pucey. Pucey totally panicked as the Bludger just missed him by a whisker, and dropped the Quaffle, which was instantly recovered by James as he sped under it.

"Nice Bludger from Gryffindor Beater Sirius Black- yeah, yeah, stop bowing to the crowd and get a hold of yourself, Sirius, there's a Bludger heading towards you- yeah, good reflex, stop rubbing it in!" the commentator said in dispproval as Sirius smirked at the crowd.

"There goes Chaser James Potter with the Quaffle- and one long pass to Chaser Bell, and there she goes… oh crap, she drops it and the Quaffle is recovered by Chaser Pucey, heading towards the Gryffindor goalposts, and…! Come on, save it, you dingus of a goalkeeper…! OKAY, sorry, Professor, won't happen again," he added as McGonagall yelled at him. "And they score," he finished with a groan as Pucey made the goal and the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all around the stands shook their heads sadly or yelled at the Slytherins, while the Slytherins cheered even louder than the 'Boo's issuing from all around.

After a couple of hours of intense tossing and tackling and diving and whatnot, Gryffindor had a massive lead of 190-100. The crowd went wild, with the exception of the Slytherins, who were just staring and unable to take in that after five years of massive failure, Gryffindor managed to actually take the lead on them. James laughed to himself as he imagined what the Slytherin team must be thinking, about how they got so good when they hadn't even practiced for a few weeks. The Snitch hadn't even been seen yet, much to the dismay of both teams, who were getting extremely tired after hours of flying.

The match dragged on. No matter what the Slytherins tried to do, Gryffindor was always ahead of them by at least fifty points. Snotnose the Beater very nearly fell off his broomstick in fatigue, but Develyn caught hold of him at the last second, so instead he just flopped on to his side like he was dead or something while she tried to hold him in place. That's when James called a time-out, for recovering themselves before any more of his teammates collapsed.

"Okay, team, take a few minutes," he panted as they touched down on the ground, some of them actually letting themselves fall loosely onto the ground, trying to catch their breath. "And guys, remember, the longer we take, the longer the Slytherins take to recover themselves,"

"Merlin, Prongs, take a break already," Sirius said breathlessly, clutching the stitch in his side. "Don't worry, we've got this in the bag, remember?"

"We've got nothing in the bag unless we get the Snitch," James reminded him. "Get it, Jacob?"

Jacob, their Seeker, nodded, his face paling in nervousness. He obviously didn't want to let the team down, and the fact that he actually had a very good chance of doing it, made him panic slightly.

"Hey! Don't panic, okay?" James said. "Just keep a sharp eye out, everything'll be alright. Anyway, have you seen the size of their Seeker? Even if he cites it first, you'll be able to get that Snitch before he even moves his broomstick, no problem,"

"Hey! Don't worry, that Snitch's got our name on it this year. It's ours, okay?" Jacob managed to grin, brushing his dark, sweat-slicked bangs out of his eyes.

James was impressed with Jacob's determination. Apparently, so was everyone else, considering the fact that they all had gotten up, ignoring their paining sides and their heaving chests, broad grins on their faces.

"Everyone, ready?" James asked, and they all nodded. "Okay then, let's go!"

They kicked off into the air, deafening cheers greeting them, giving them more hope. The Slytherins also seemed to be more lighthearted than ever once they took their positions. Something told all of them, every single one of them in the stadium, that there was going to be an all-out battle now. The leisurely played game was going to disappear, replaced with a brutal fight until the Snitch was caught.

And something made everyone sure that it wasn't very far until that moment.

"First to retrieve the Quaffle is Chaser Bell of Gryffindor- who ducks a speedy Bludger- Good job, Develyn! Okay- she passes to Chaser Hinton, who passes it back, and it goes on and on and on… Aaand…..! GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

The cheers were uproarious; everyone was smelling victory, except the Gryffindor team. They knew that nothing was won without the Snitch…

"Hey! Is that the Snitch?" The commentator asked curiously, and everyone turned to look at Jacob, who had gone into a spectacular dive, closely followed by the Slytherin Seeker. Whispers broke out in the stadium, no one daring to move as the two Seekers came neck-to-neck…!

And then in happened. Jacob pulled up at the last second, sending the other Seeker hurtling towards the ground. It was a false alarm. The entire stadium groaned. But then Jacob went off in the totally opposite direction, assured that the other Seeker wouldn't be able to pull himself off the ground in time.

It all happened in the space of a few seconds; No one even knew what happened until Jacob punched his hand in the air victoriously, the struggling Snitch clutched tight in his hand.

There was instant uproar. Who knew, after hours and hours, the Snitch would be caught in just a few seconds? But none of that mattered; the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws all came spilling out of the stands, ready to hoist the entire team up in the air, while the Slytherins just shook their heads dejectedly. James was instantly enclosed in a wall of hugs, thumps on the back, a few people giving him congratulations and such.

He had never felt such happiness in his entire life, as a Gryffindor sixth year managed to hoist him on his shoulders, his cheers lost in the amount of noise issuing from all sides.

* * *

"Hey, great game, guys!" Remus and Peter came running towards them, hugging each one of them in turn. James and Sirius grinned broadly. It was late afternoon; the match had gone straight through lunchtime, and everyone was in the Great Hall, having a late lunch. They were near their favorite beech tree, all alone on the grounds, celebrating their victory.

"Thanks," James grinned.

"Aw, shucks," Sirius blushed and waved his hand in the air in a very childish manner.

"So anyway! I've got some good news," Remus cleared his throat.

"What is it?" James asked.

"See, me and Remus talked to McGonagall some time ago," Peter explained.

"She was absolutely splitting in joy; you'd want to have been there, Sirius,"

"Yeah! And so then, we asked her whether we could have a party of sorts,"

"And guess what? She said yes!"

"Yep, she said she had already talked to Dumbledore, who said it was okay as long as the Slytherins didn't know about it,"

"Really?" James widened his eyes.

"But there's a catch," Peter cleared his throat.

"Yeah. She said that the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws have to be invited too,"

"WHAT?" James and Sirius said together.

"She said that they deserved to celebrate too, because Slytherin had beat them five years in the running as well," Peter said.

"She said that she and a few selected students were going to organize a big party in the Great Hall tomorrow night, and that everyone should take care that the Slytherins don't know anything about it,"

"Hey, that's not a problem," James smiled. "Leave it to me and Padfoot- we'll just lock them in their common room till the party's over," Remus looked at him in disapproval, but he just shrugged.

"Yeah," Sirius winked at James.

"Okay. But you get what we mean by 'party', right?" Remus asked curiously.

"Um… yeah?" James asked uncertainly.

"Don't we have one every year?" Sirius asked.

"No, but this one is like a proper party- like you know, dancing and-"

"DANCING?" James and Sirius asked in unison.

"You mean we have to bring a date or something?" James gulped.

"Hey, you know McGonagall," Peter shrugged.

"Don't worry, guys, this one's going to be a lot better than our usual ones," Remus assured them, but James still felt a sick feeling inside his stomach.

_Darn! _James thought furiously, repeating the word a million times until it didn't make sense anymore.

* * *

He walked into the Heads' dorm an hour later, finding Lily sitting on the sofa rereading her Herbology book. She groaned when he entered.

"Come on, I _just _opened this!" she slammed the book down as hard as she could on the sofa, folding her arms grumpily.

"No, it's okay- you can read, I'm just going to take a shower," he dropped his broomstick on the ground near the door, heading upstairs to grab his clothes.

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "So you're not going to talk to me or steal my stuff or anything?"

"Nope, just a shower," he yelled from his bedroom, emerging back on the landing as he walked down the steps slowly.

"Okay, then," she said, grabbing her book and trying to find the page where she left off. He walked over to the bathroom, threw his clothes across onto the hanger, shut the door and walked over to the enormous tub in the middle of it, just like the Prefects' bathroom.

He turned almost all the faucets on and waited for the tub to fill up. Slowly, he removed his Quidditch robes, grabbed one of the fluffy towels in the corner, and jumped into the sea of bubbles, almost sighing in soothingness.

That's when, some way away, some air bubbles came up on the surface, almost invisible because of the already rippling water.

"AAAH!" James yelled as Myrtle's head popped out over the.

"Hey! You okay?" he heard Lily call him from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, f-fine!" he replied as Myrtle glided a bit closer.

"You didn't sound so fine when you screamed,' Lily reasoned.

" No, I just saw a, um… lizard?" he heard Lily's muffled snort echo around the bathroom. Then there was silence as he stared at Myrtle and Myrtle stared back, as the decreasing sounds of Lily's footsteps vanished into nothingness.

"What the _hell, _Myrtle!" he whispered furiously. Myrtle just sniffed.

"No one… likes to see me… not even _you, _James Potter!" she sniffled noisily, suddenly bursting into tears.

"Whoa..! Hey!" his eyes darted furiously towards the door, as if expecting Lily to come back, inquiring why he was crying so much. "Shut up!" he tried to calm her down. She just bawled even louder. "No-don't- I like you, okay, Myrtle?" suddenly she stopped crying.

"You do?" she asked hopefully.

"Um, yes," he shuddered as Myrtle's shoulder grazed his own and he felt that ripple of coldness spread throughout his body.

"So you'll ask me to the dance, then?" she asked, and he choked.

"I, er- I don't know," he managed to say as he coughed from the soapy water that had managed to go down his windpipe. "I'll let you know, okay?"

"Really?" she asked. James didn't really feel like triggering her wails again, so he just played along.

"Sure! Just… could you go away, please?" he pleaded, and watched as her face contorted into sadness, threatening to break into sobs.

"I thought… you liked my company!" she sniffled, and he groaned inwardly. How much would it take to just get rid of her?

"Myrtle! I'm- sort of busy right now, okay?" he moved slightly away from her.

"Oh, I get it," she sobbed. "Goodbye!" and with that, she whipped around, slapping him in the face with her legs, probably on purpose (well, not exactly slapped, her legs just went right through his head, which felt even worse than being slapped) and disappeared down the drain. James sighed with relief. Finally, she was gone.

And then that sick feeling returned, which made him wish that Myrtle hadn't gone. A bit. What was he going to do? _You have to find yourself a date, _he told himself, groaning inwardly. But it just wouldn't feel right to go with anyone other than Lily Evans.

* * *

"Were you _crying _in there?" Lily asked, amused, as James walked out of the bathroom, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

"No," he said. "But I'm not going to tell you what happened, it's just too bizarre," he added, knowing that if he told Lily about Myrtle she would probably not understand it. She didn't know who Myrtle was, after all, the girls' bathroom was always closed.

"Okay," she laughed a bit, turning back to her Transfiguration book. "Anyway, great game," she congratulated him. "Especially since you didn't practice at all,"

"Yeah, we didn't," he went red in the face, and Lily narrowed her eyes.

"You _did _practice, didn't you?" she asked. "In the Room of Requirement?"

"Maybe," he said a bit too innocently. She snorted.

"Genius," she muttered.

"So, speaking of the match…" he sat down next to her. "It was you, right? You made that Quaffle go into to hoop?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," this time, she went red in the face as James looked at her triumphantly.

"Oh?" he raised his eyebrows. "Tell you what- when Kane hit that Bludger at Develyn, and she took the penalty, and she was all wobbly on her broomstick, and the Quaffle was going to miss by at least a foot, it _magically _altered its path. You sure you hadn't got anything to do with that?"

"Maybe," she mimicked him, and he laughed.

"Sure," he said sarcastically. They sat in silence for a few seconds. "So, you heard about the party?"

"Yep, McGonagall told everyone," she said. "But I wonder how we're going to do it, keeping the Slytherins away and everything…"

James' stomach dropped in nervousness. He was numb all over. Should he ask her? Should he not? He would have to decide really fast, but it wasn't easy. How could he know what to do, in possibly only ten seconds?

Sure, he could just not ask her, and risk her going with someone else. Or he could ask her, and she could either say yes or no. Just two words, each a knife in his stomach. Should he risk it? Their newfound friendship? He could, or he could not. Two choices. Only two. Then why was it so hard?

"Don't worry about that," he said, and she looked at him as if she expected him to have something to do with it. "Just… who are you planning to go with? Remus said that McGonagall wants us to take someone, for the dance."

"Oh, right, I haven't given that much thought." She said a bit too casually. She was actually trying to mask that feeling of numbness inside her. Was he going where she _thought _he was going with this? In some weird way, she actually hoped that he would ask her, but in another, she hoped against hope that he wouldn't.

"I haven't, much, either…" he said.

"I thought you would,"

"What?"

"You know, with all those girls wanting to go with you and stuff, you might want to pick,"

"Actually, I kind of go for the hard-to-get kinds," he said without thinking. He tried to hide the blush that was creeping up his face by turning his head away from her, but he couldn't do anything now. He had already said it.

Lily was glad that he had turned away, mainly because she was blushing too. She waited until the redness had disappeared, before she said, "Like?"

"I don't know, people like you, I guess," he replied, turning back to face her. A long silence passed between them, with only staring and blushing and staring and blushing.

"Are you- Are you asking me?" she asked finally.

"I don't know, am I?"

"I think you are,"

"Well then, maybe I am," he said, pleased that she hadn't smacked him or yelled at him, but was just sitting there, an enormous conflict going on within her. He could tell.

"I- I-" she stuttered. She just looked at him, and felt like running away. So that she couldn't say yes, and she couldn't say no. But something told her that she wasn't ready yet, for this. She thought back to the past six years, and it felt funny. Wanting to say yes, after so much time of her hatred for him. Somehow, it didn't feel right.

Before she could burst into tears, she got up and ran for the door. No! She wouldn't do this to him, or herself. She slammed the door behind her, and started to cry right on the spot. She was reduced to something so pitiful, but not in a good way. Why did she run? She shouldn't have. But then what would she have said? Yes or no? Neither, and she knew it. But somehow she felt like she had just broken something that could never be fixed. Ever.

She didn't even notice Amos Diggory walk up to her. Didn't notice when he sat down next to her and comforted her. To her, he was nothing. He _meant _nothing.

And she didn't even notice when he asked her to the dance.

Didn't even notice when she said yes.

* * *

"YOU SAID YES TO AMOS DIGGORY?" Hestia yelled furiously, when both of them were out of earshot of everyone else, of the grounds.

She hadn't seen James, ever since she had run. She didn't know what to say to him. He would probably hate her. He would probably be so shocked and miserable that she didn't want to ruin it for him.

"I wasn't thinking, Hest!" she groaned. She could vaguely remember saying it, vaguely remember him… kissing her? Aw, YUCK! She grimaced as she tried to forget it.

"_Why, _Lily? You hate him!" Hestia said incredulously.

"I do, but… James had just asked me… and I didn't know what to say, so I ran… and then poof! He was just there, and I was really sad, so I said yes! I guess," she added, unsure of the reason of exactly why she said yes.

"James asked you?" Hestia asked. "Merlin, Lily, why didn't you go with him? It would have been so much better, and you know it!"

"Yeah, now that I think of it…" she replied. "It's just… I was shocked, more than anything, you know? And I didn't know what to say, so I just… ran."

"Aw, Lily, you really have made a mess of things…" Hestia buried her face in her hands.

"What do you think I should do?" she asked, her eyes heating up with tears.

"Lily, don't cry!" Hestia pulled her into a hug. "It's not that bad. Just… go with Diggory, and then talk to James afterwards. I'm sure he'll get it."

"No," Lily sobbed into Hestia's shoulder. "He won't. He'll h-hate me. I know it."

"He's never hated you," Hestia reminded her. "Ever. He might act like it, but trust me, he's not going to hate you,"

That's when it started to rain. Really, really hard. Lily's tears were lost it the rainwater that enveloped her, still hanging on to Hestia, not planning to let go anytime soon. They just stood there in the rain together, not saying a word, taking it all in. The weather really matched Lily's feelings at the moment- dark, gloomy, afraid. He was as scared as hell. She didn't know what to expect, but knew it wasn't going to be good.

But whatever, right? Sooner or later, she would have to talk to him. And maybe then, she would be ready.

_Why _did it have to be so hard?

* * *

Hestia had let Lily one of her red dresses to wear. She didn't really want to impress Amos Diggory, so she didn't give much effort in dressing herself up.

It was Sunday evening, an hour before the party, and she was in her bedroom. She hadn't spoken to James even once since yesterday, but caught momentary glimpses of him, looking confused and depressed.

She held the fancy, red dress up to her in front of the mirror, trying not to cry, as she had done for the past twenty-four hours.

It didn't take her long to change and put her makeup on, but she lingered inside her bedroom for a long time, afraid to go downstairs. But she looked at her watch, and sighed. She would have to face it, sooner or later. So why not just get it over with now?

She walked down the steps slowly, closing her eyes momentarily, bracing herself.

He was sitting there, on the couch, with a faraway look in his eyes. He looked at her as she came down the staircase, trying not to gasp at how beautiful she looked.

He wasn't dressed at all, obviously not planning to go to the party. Lily fought her tears; what had she done?

"You're going with Amos Diggory, right?" James choked, wincing as he said the name. She nodded. "Oh well, you look great. Have fun, anyway." And then, in a second, he was gone- up the spiral staircase leading to his bedroom. Lily's voice caught in her throat. She wanted to say something, but couldn't think of what.

She practically ran out of the room, realizing she was late. Amos Diggory was waiting for her in the Entrance Hall, a winning look in his eyes. Looking at him just made Lily want to puke. Apparently, he had bragged about his success to anyone who would listen, so practically everyone thought that Lily Evans was dating Amos Diggory. Lily just ignored all the stares as she excepted his hand, walking into the Great Hall alongside him and his deep blue dress robes.

The Great Hall truly looked wondrous; there was a dancefloor, dozens of circular tables, colorful lights, exactly what Lily had imagined the Yule Ball to look like.

"Want to dance?" he asked, but she just didn't say anything.

"I just… need a drink. I'll catch you later," she turned her back on him and walked over to the table where numerous butterbeers and firewhiskeys were kept. She slowly sipped at a butterbeer, watching Sirius and Hestia dancing, with broad grins and a red flush on their faces, having a great time. She wondered what it would have been like if she came here with James. They would have been on the dancefloor too, probably… beside Hestia and Sirius… talking, laughing, joking.

She couldn't bear to think about it any longer. She knew she had made a mistake, and that it was too late to correct it. Suddenly, the music meant nothing to her, the lights were invisible, all that remained in her sight was James, sitting alone in the Heads' dorm probably even more miserable than she was.

She chucked her empty butterbeer can aside, and actually ran out of the Great Hall. She couldn't take it anymore, she had to leave this place full of cheery, normal people. She had to go. Who cared about Diggory? Let him be there, looking for her all night. He didn't matter to her.

She threw open the Heads' dorm, and he was exactly where he had been before, on the sofa, except this time he had his head in his hands. He must have heard the creak of the door, thought, because just as she stepped inside, his head snapped towards her. She could see the surprise on his face.

"Why aren't you at the party?" he stood up, looking worried once he sighted her tear-stained face.

Lily couldn't help but cry. She had hurt him, and yet here he was, caring for her. Hestia was right. He had never hated her, and never would. She ran across the room and threw herself in his arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear as she cried on his shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered back, embracing her tightly. Her eyes closed automatically. It was like in a dream, being there with him. Being in his caring air.

"I don't deserve the okay," she replied, her voice breaking in spots, shamefully. James didn't say anything, just kept on hugging her back.

It was déjà vu all over again… he was there, hugging her, and she was crying, all throughout the night. Except, this time, it actually meant something to her. This time, it wasn't just meanless crying and hugging. It was full of something.

She just didn't know what it was yet.

* * *

**I'm taking a few week break now... so this is the last chapter I'm going to be updating for a while. I'll try to update near the end of May, maybe even before. Hope you keep in touch anyway! :)**


	14. Secrets Are Always Revealed

**Okay! So I know I said three weeks or something, but I managed to get my hands on a computer so here's the fourteenth chapter. It may be a bit boring at times, but I hope you like it. please review! :)  
**

* * *

He was getting that dream again. His aunt and uncle, bleeding out into a lake of blood, with Voldemort and Bellatrix standing above them, cackling evilly, Bellatrix wearing an unnaturally large gold crown. And then the scene changed... there was a dead Evie, falling from the sky, Bellatrix pushing her from atop Toto. Her pale, dead eyes became larger and larger as he vanished into them. But this was something he had never witnessed before... another scene, a new one, where...?

Suddenly he awoke, screaming his head off.

Then he stopped. It hit him that he wasn't in his dream anymore, and he shouldn't be screaming, lest Lily heard and wondered what was going on.

It was kind of ironic, really; that she would be wondering about him when, in fact, she was the one who had been cruciating him in his dream.

He was aware of the perspiration running down his face as he slowly sat up, shivering. Just great- it was raining heavily outside, making the atmosphere seem even more dark and scary than it actually was. Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the frames on his dresser. He tried to steady his wobbling legs as he walked over to it. Another bolt of lightning. The smiling picture of Evie seemed larger than ever as he felt the clench of fear in his stomach relax slightly. Evie wasn't dead, how could she be? It was only a dream. _Only a dream which you've got nearly a dozen nights in the running. _No! It couldn't be. She was alive. He couldn't even allow himself to imagine her to be dead. _Do you really want to take that chance? _Not in a million years.

He grabbed the nearest piece of parchment with shaking fingers. He would write her a letter. And he would keep on writing her letters, every single day.

But how could he, if he couldn't even hold on to that small, square piece of paper?

His head felt heavy. The parchment fluttered from his fingers as he clutched his hair in agony. The feeling of loss was too strong. It overpowered the small amount of sanity he had left. He dropped to his knees and tried to tried to control that splitting anger inside of him. _Don't yell. You can't yell. Control it!_

A small moan issued from his mouth in effort from not to tear his hair apart. He couldn't see. Tears and blood engulfed his eyes as he rolled around on the floor trying to get rid of the memories. Blood trickled down from his scalp all the way to the floor as he tore at his hair, expressing with his hands what anger he could not demonstrate with his mouth.

He was distantly aware of Lily calling his name. But she didn't matter, all that mattered was that Evie would die. She didn't matter anymore...

He snapped back to reality. Subconsciously he was still battling with himself, but he could still distinctly hear the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. With all the strength he could muster, he heaved himself up to his feet and braced himself.

"Hey, you okay?" Lily asked as she came up the stairs.

"Yeah, f-fine," James tried to keep his voice steady, but to no avail. Even then he was conscious of his soft, shaking voice and the fact that she was looking at him curiously.

"You say you're fine," Lily walked up to him. Now she was standing a foot away, her eyes darting across his drenched figure. They were standing right near the window, where the heavy tapping of the rain against the glass filled their ears and the moonlight lit up the dark room, making all the gold frames shine.

"I don't want to talk," he said bluntly. He wondered whether she could notice his eyes fog over as he tried to drive away the nightmares haunting his subconscious. He could hardly realize her hand on his arm, rubbing it soothingly.

"Don't, then," she whispered, gripping his arm tightly as he made an effort not to lean on the dresser, afraid to show how badly the dream had affected him. "You're bleeding," she said as she tugged at her wand, trying to mend the deep cuts on his head as best she could.

"I know," he said vaguely. The image of Lily cruciating him grew in his mind, threatening to break free of its confinement.

"I've heard you," she said. "For the past few nights,"

"I try not to show it,"

"Well then, it's not working,"

He couldn't even manage a hollow laugh as he pictured the Lily in his dream, her beautiful green eyes slanted in malice, her teeth barred as she performed an Unforgivable Curse upon him.

"Please leave," he tried not to act to rude as he gritted his teeth pleadingly. His mind was in such a state that he couldn't risk her being there.

She obliged, letting go of his arm as he clapped the same hand to his forehead, as if trying to reach through it and rip his brain apart. She didn't want to leave him, especially after what had happened at the party five days ago. But she had no choice. One look at his puffy, red eyes, the dried blood sticking to his cheek, the sweat that made his shirt cling to him, made her realize that this wasn't the time. She stood up on tiptoe, kissed his cheek, and then ran out of the room, leaving him to his own troubled thoughts.

* * *

He didn't even remember falling asleep after all the thrashing and horrible aftereffects of the nightmare. He was just there his eyes fluttering open at the crack of dawn, trying to recall the events of a few hours before. But he couldn't remember anything, much. Cautiously, he touched his cheek and felt something hard. He scrambled out of bed and walked over to the mirror, and actually gasped. His entire left cheek was caked in dried blood, making him look like his face was half normal and half mutant. He tried to scrape some of it off, but it just made him look all the more frightening. Slowly, he closed his eyes and thought back.

_Evie, dead!_ Yes, she had died in his dream. _I walked over to the dresser to write her a letter..._ he remembered that, too, but the rest was kind of fuzzy. _No, wait! I remember... Lily had come up to my bedroom. _Yes, but what then? _She said_ _something, didn't she? And I told her to go away. But why? _Then he remembered. The Lily in his dream had been cruciating him, and he was scared. He felt his stomach drop and tried to forget, but couldn't. _Then she left. _Yes. She left. And he was left with his mess of a mind.

He shook his head as he stared at the pale pink and yellow sky, signaling dawn. The rain had stopped, but probably not long ago; the window pane was still dripping.

This was not the time to think about this! He quickly diverted his thoughts to something else. Quidditch. He should really be thankful that it was held a week early- the weather was pleasant then, but now it was dark and stormy. Quidditch. Quidditch... the party. His heart leapt as quickly as it had fallen. Lily was avoiding him quite a bit lately, and he had that to be grateful for. He knew that in certain cases he shouldn't be glad that she was keeping away, but in the present circumstances, it was perfectly normal to be.

He literally skipped downstairs to have a shower before his classes started. Seriously, he would have to get rid of all that blood- McGonagall would drive him crazy.

He peeked over the staircase. Assuring himself that Lily was nowhere to be seen, he raced across the room and bolted the bathroom door shut. Then he heaved a sigh and turned all the faucets on quickly. There was something else he had noticed too, though, of how their bathroom was different from the prefects' one. About a few feet above the taps were small knobs which, when pressed sent water sprinkling all round the tub, like rain. He rapidly pressed all of them and jumped into the sea of bubbles, sighing in content as the cold water from the showers engulfed his aching head. There was nothing like a good swim to drive all of his thoughts away.

* * *

_November 19. _

_Forget it. Who am I kidding? I like James Potter and there's nothing I can do about it. But there's no way I'm going to give in to Hestia! Or anyone else. This, I'm going to keep to myself. No one has to know. _

_Aargh! Help me! I'm in a really tight spot. Diggory told everyone I'm dating him, ever since the party this Sunday. It's Friday now, so that means it's been five whole days of complete badgering from that idiot. Someone, _please _kill him for me! And now, I have no choice but to play along with it, because if I don't, then everyone's going to hate me and I don't want that to happen. _

_For some reason, I'm always thinking of diabolical ways to crush his heart. It'll be so fun to watch his face...!_

_And tonight, I heard James yell again. But this time, I actually went up to his room to see what was wrong. Gosh, he looked so terrible! He wouldn't tell me what was wrong, though. Ah well, he'll do it in time..._

_And I kissed him again. Yes, on the cheek! It felt so good, but I doubt he remembers it. It didn't look like he was doing well enough to concentrate on me or anything. _

_Which brings me to the main point- how on earth to I get rid of Diggory and his sickeningly handsome, fat face? He drives me crazy! And yes, of course, I haven't let him kiss me yet. Except that time when he asked me to the party. I can't remember it very well, but I think he did... yuck!_

_Aha! I finally found a way to crush him. A really, really terrible but yet awesome way. But it'll take a lot of nerve... and I'm not very sure whether it's a good idea... okay, it's not. But it's the worst possible way I can do it, and I need it to be the worst. And that way I can get both the things I want..._

_I need to kiss James Potter._

* * *

Lily was just slipping her Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment into her bag when James' dripping head poked out of the bathroom door.

"Hey! There you are," he smiled when he saw her, and she felt her stomach do a little back flip. "I think you came up to my room last night," he wiped his face, put on his glasses, and walked up to her.

"I did," she said shortly.

"Anyway, sorry about that..." he trailed off.

"What exactly happened?" she asked curiously.

"You're going for breakfast a bit early, doncha think?" he said hastily, leaning against the table with his back away from her. She could tell he didn't wan to talk about it.

"Yeah, well..." she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I just don't feel like staying here,"

"I thought you don't like getting up early,"

"Who said I was ever asleep?" she replied, and he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Come on, why don't you stay? You can't go down now; there won't be anyone there," he said finally.

"Maybe..." she said uncertainly, but he had already taken her hand and had already seated her down on the sofa.

"We haven't really talked about the party," he began.

"I know," sighed Lily. "But listen! I'm not dating Amos Diggory, okay? I don't know what crap he's spreading around the school, but it's all just a big fat lie."

"But then... why did you go with him?" asked James, confused. Lily could feel her cheeks flush.

"I..." she tried to think of the right words. "I just... wasn't thinking straight. That's why. And I know you hate him a lot, and so do I, so I just wanted you to know."

"Okay," he said, concealing his happiness. _Not thinking straight? _What did she mean by that? "But then, what are you going to do about it? You can't just stand there and waste your perfectly good time just pretending. It's not exactly right..."

Lily kept silent for a second as she thought back to the diary entry she had written nearly an hour ago. It sounded absolutely sane then, but now it sounded absolutely ridiculous. All it took was one look at his face to tell her that it just was _not possible _to kiss James Potter. It was an absurd idea, and she should have known it. But what could she do, if she wanted to?

"I don't know," she said shakily. James controlled himself from gripping her arm in caution. She looked like she was about to puke or something. He could tell that she had something on her mind, but wasn't ready to tell him. Just like he wasn't ready to tell her about his dream.

"_I _could give you a million ideas," he grinned, and she chuckled.

"No thanks, I'll think about it."

"Do you like chocolates?" he asked after a long silence.

"What?" laughed Lily.

"Come on! We can steal Moony's- he just can't live without them, they're his _precious _chocolates." James emphasized the word 'precious' with weird hand movements which made Lily laugh.

"Pass," she said.

"Aww...!" James pouted.

"Go eat a vegetable instead," she waved him off.

"What?" he asked, amused.

"You know what I mean! You don't want to become fat, do you?"

"Ha ha, very funny. You think there's a chance that _this," _he waved his hands all across his body. "can ever become fat? In your dreams,"

"You think I dream about you being fat?"

"It's certainly possible," he winked. "Well, what do you dream about, then?" James didn't continue when he saw Lily try to hide her blush.

"Well, at least we know how Wormtail got so pudgy," he said finally, and Lily whacked him across the head. "Come on, it was a joke!"

They walked down to the Great Hall together, much to the surprise of many, considering that they rarely ever walked together, much less _laughing _with each other. Especially since she had 'turned him down' at the party. Rumors really did travel fast.

Lily should have anticipated the fact that Amos Diggory would crash in on them as soon as they entered the Great Hall.

"There you are, Lilykins my dear!" Amos swept her off her feet and attempted to kiss her, but she pushed him off.

"Go jump in a well!" she said in disgust, and several people gasped. Lily hastily tried to correct her outburst. ...so I can jump in after you and then we'll be together forever?"

"You really do have a sense of humor!" he gave an empty laugh. That's when he noticed James. "And what are you doing here, _Potter?" _he spat.

"Actually, the question is, what are _you _doing here?" James asked angrily.

"Well, Lilykins _is _my girlfriend!"

"Don't call her Lilykins!" James raised his voice, and Lily almost asked him how he knew she hated that name.

"Shut up, you hear? You can't tell me what not to call her!"

"Like hell I can't!"

"You're just jealous!"

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" James roared, and the whole hall went quiet to watch them in interest.

"I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO STEAL HER FROM ME!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE STUPID!"

"WELL THEN, WHY DID YOU COME DOWN WITH HER TODAY?"

"I DON'T SEE IT AS ANY OF YOUR FRIGGING BUSINESS!"

"IT _IS MY _BUSINESS NOW!"

"WELL, THAT'S WHAT YOUR ROCK OF A BRAIN THINKS!"

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

"SHE'S NOT YOUR PROPERTY!"

"Break it up!" McGonagall came out of nowhere, grabbing her heads with each of her hands, twisting them around and then giving her a light push so that they faced away from each other. The entire hall broke out in whispers as they walked towards their house tables, Amos hesitating slightly as if expecting Lily to accompany him, but striding furiously away once he realized she wasn't going to.

"That wasn't necessary," Lily said quietly as she an James walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. The Marauders and Hestia were nowhere to be seen, though, so they just sat together at the far end.

"Well, _someone _needs to teach that loser a lesson," James muttered, still fuming.

"Yeah, I know, but that's not exactly how I pictured it," she laughed a bit, biting into a piece of toast. James managed a small smile.

"Anyway, it's the first Hogsmeade trip tomorrow!" he exclaimed suddenly, obviously wanting to change the topic.

"Really? Isn't it usually till much later?" asked Lily.

"Yeah, but this year it's early because Dumbledore thinks it's a good idea,"

"I see," she said. "I haven't really checked the notice boards in a long time."

"Me neither," James said. "Remus told me. Oh! And we need to meet up in Hogsmeade tomorrow sometime."

"Why?"

"Well, we need to discuss extra security because of the Halloween thing."

"Okay, so it's a Head Boy and Head Girl thing." she blurted without thinking.

"Yeah. What else would it be?" he shrugged, and the both of them blushed simultaneously. "So how about the Three Broomsticks? About an hour into it?" he asked. _This is going to be my first date with Lily Evans... kind of, _he thought excitedly.

"Sounds great to me," she smiled. _This is going to be my first date with James Potter... kind of. _

* * *

Sirius and Hestia joined them about a half hour later, both of them appearing with their hair slightly ruffled and their cheeks flushed.

"Hope you had a good broom closet trip," James grinned. Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by Lily.

"Aha! No," she said loudly. Sirius shut his mouth reluctantly and James and Hestia laughed.

"Anyway, Lily, how 'bout we do some early Christmas shopping tomorrow? I know it's in a month, almost, but there's really no other time," Hestia asked. her eyes shining in anticipation.

"Sure, but me and James've git to meet up in the Three Broomsticks, so we've got to finish under an hour." said Lily.

"Like a date?" Sirius piped up, and Lily and James both flushed.

"No!" they said in unison, but Sirius and Hestia grinned slyly at each other.

"Oh! And Jerk's got some news for you," Hestia said in realization, and Sirius blushed a bit.

"What is it? Padfoot, tell me!" James said excitedly.

"It's a secret," Sirius said in a loud whisper, trying to stall them until the subject was completely forgotten.

"No it's not, you told me!" Hestia grinned. "Now say it. Come on, it's not too bad!"

"Okay, but could it be in private so that you don't yell and everyone doesn't get to know?" he pleaded.

"He's an uncle," Hestia smirked, and Sirius buried his face in his arms.

"You're a _WHAT?" _Lily and James yelled, and more than half the heads in the Great Hall turned to look at them.

"Awww...!" Sirius moaned in a muffled voice, lifting his head up from his arms. "See? This is _exactly _what I was talking about!"

"Uncle Sirius," said James dreamily. "It's got a nice ring to it,"

"Shut up," Sirius whined.

"You're an uncle?" Peter came up from behind them.

"She arrived two days ago, I got the letter yesterday." he replied.

"You're an uncle to a SHE?" Lily asked incredulously, and then burst out laughing.

"Don't rub it in," mumbled Sirius.

"She Andromeda's kid?" asked James.

"Yup. Who else?"

"Who's Andromeda?"

"My cousin."

"What's her name?"

"Andromeda! Sheesh, are you deaf or something?"

"No, your _niece's," _Lily emphasized the word heavily.

"Well, 'Dromeda always told me that if she ever got a girl she would name her," Sirius gulped. "Nymphadora,"

Their end of the table exploded in laughter as the five of them guffawed their heads off, tears spilling down their cheeks and their hands clutching their sides as they shook helplessly.

"C-Classic! Bet the g-girl'll love that name," Lily said between breaths.

"N-No kidding," James laid his head down on the table, his head splitting in laughter. No one could have guessed that, a few hours ago, the same head was splitting with something much more frightening.

* * *

"Hest, how many purses does your mum _need?" _Lily asked impatiently as Hestia continued to dig through piles of fancy purses inside one of the shops in Hogsmeade.

"My mum? Who said I'm looking for stuff for my mum? _These _are for me," she hugged a dozen purses to herself in content.

"And you're telling me you're _not _going to be bankrupt when you're older," snorted Lily. Just looking at all of the outrageous bags made her go green in the face. But no matter where she turned, she was always in front of pink, purple, and white.

"You haven't seen the inside of my bank vault, Petal," Hestia quickly paid for all the purses and somehow managed to stuff all of them in her unnaturally small handbag. "_Then _you'll quit talking,"

"What about your mum, then? You said you were here to buy stuff for her,"

"My mum? I finished buying stuff for my mum a _half hour ago!" _

_"_A half hour...? Merlin! Hest, look at the time! I've got to run. See you later!" and with that, Lily bolted out of the door, pulling her cloak closer to her as the light showers drenched her head.

She was around fifteen minutes late already, and she couldn't even see the Three Broomsticks. She trudged through the deep puddles as fast as her legs could carry her, absentmindedly wiping her face even though she knew it would only get wet again.

She past the Shrieking Shack. Hestia somehow caught up to her, and was looking at the shack curiously.

"That's weird! How come there aren't any howls coming from it, like the usual?" she asked, and Lily hesitated.

"No idea," she shrugged. Hestia raised an eyebrow but didn't inquire any further.. Lily wasn't a very good liar, and Hestia could tell, but could understand that this was important to her and that she would tell her when she was ready. Everyone had secrets, after all.

"Hey! There's the Three Broomsticks," Lily said, but Hestia didn't reply.

"That two-faced, backstabbing git!" she muttered, and Lily was confused for a second. But then Lily realized that she was talking about Snape, who was standing about a dozen paces away, sneering maliciously and scheming with Mulciber and Avery, going unnoticed by Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who were standing right in front of them.

"Okay, that's it. He's dead." Lily drew her wand angrily.

"No! You go for your date, I'll take care of this! Before he does anything to them." Hestia whipped out her wand as Snape and the others slowly advanced towards the Marauders.

"It's not a date!" Lily hoped she sounded firm.

"If that's what you want to believe," Hestia winked. "Now are you going or not?"

"You sure?" Lily asked, but Hestia had already pushed her away. Lily ran as fast as she could towards the Three Broomsticks, which was proving difficult, due to the large potholes and rocks, not to mention the rain beating down on her. She heard a snap and could see a flash of light as Hestia gave Snape a piece of her mind, and grinned.

She threw open the door to the Three Broomsticks, squeezed the water out of her hair, and removed her soaking cloak to put it on the stand. She could see James standing a little way away talking with Frank and Alice, and saw him smile when he saw her.

"You're all wet," was the first thing he said when Alice and Frank left.

"I know," she rolled her eyes. "How come you're not?"

"Well, you see, I dried off after waiting here for half an hour,"

"Yeah, sorry about that..."

"It's okay! Come on! Grab a seat, we'll try and get this over with fast,"

Lily pulled a chair at a table seating two people, and James took the other. Both of them squirmed a bit, because neither of them really wanted to 'get this over with fast', and didn't know what to start with.

"Want a butterbeer?" James asked finally. "It looks like you might need one,"

"Yeah, thanks," Lily said gratefully.

"Hey, you!" James called to a scrawny third-year boy, who jumped. "Get two butterbeers over here," the startled boy obliged, ducking behind a lean fifth year and at once hurrying off to Madam Rosmerta's counter.

"Works like a charm," James grinned, and Lily narrowed her eyes in disapproval. The boy returned, trying not to spill the butterbeers as he tried to make it to their table in haste. He slammed them down on the table and hurried away, before James could give him another order.

"Bless him," James said, taking one long swig of the butterbeer, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, and then placing it back on the table.

"So, where do we begin?" Lily asked, sipping her butterbeer.

"I don't want to talk about patrols!" James folded his arms behind his head in a complaining manner.

"Shut up- you know we have to!"

"How about later? Heck, we can even do it in the Head's dorm."

Lily knew that James wanted to savor his first 'date' with her, and she did too, so she fought his statement in a feeble way before giving in.

"Fine! Whatever," she rolled her eyes and raised her arms in surrender. "Hey, what's up?" she raised an eyebrow when she saw James stare past her with a look of hatred. She turned around and saw Amos Diggory standing a few tables away, flirting shamelessly with a group of his fangirls. She turned back and shrugged her shoulders uncaringly.

"Forget him. He's such a-"

"Douche," James completed her sentence. "Douche Diggory," Lily choked on her butterbeer and erupted into a violent fit of coughing while James laughed unrestrictedly.

"What?" she asked finally, between coughs.

"On-the-spot names are always the best," he grinned. "Like it?"

"It fits,"

"I know."

"YOu know I used to call you 'Pervert Potter', right?"

This time it was James who choked on his butterbeer.

"What?"

"You heard me,"

"Yeah, well, I used to call you, um... Ever-Erupting Evans," Lily burst into a fit of giggles, but not before managing to smack him on the shoulder.

"Ha! I'm better at alliterations than you are."

"OH yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Prove it."

"Bastard Black,"

"Ha ha ha! Don't tell him you said that,"

"Maddening MacDonald,"

"Hmm- Jackass Jones,"

"She is _not _a jackass!"

"You said I have to find a good alliteration,"

"Yeah! That _suits _the person!"

"So I'm a pervert?"

"Used to be,"

"So I'm not anymore?"

"Nope,"

"Good."

"Good."

'Choking on Butterbeers' now became so unavoidable as they laughed through all the names they had come up with. Many people started to stare at them, but they were oblivious to it. They didn't even notice Amos Diggory narrow his eyes angrily.

With the both of them leaning over the table, doubled over in laughter, their faces were only inches away from each other. Either of them noticed this, and stopped laughing at once as they stared into each other's eyes. Slowly, they both leaned in, and Lily tilted her head to the side a bit.

"Potter! What are you doing with my girlfriend?" Amos slammed his tankard of firewhiskey down on the force of it made the both of them jump backwards as the firewhiskey slopped out of the tankard, spreading across the table where their heads had been a moment ago.

"Oh, I was just telling her you were a douche," he said angrily. So much for a perfect opportunity!

"What?" he snarled menacingly, right in James face. No doubt he was drunk.

"Get out of here, Amos! Head Girl and Boy stuff," Lily was angry as well, but tried not to show it.

"Didn't look that way to me!" Amos half-yelled. "He was about to kiss you!" More than half the inn gasped. "And you were about to let him!"

Lily stood up so fast her chair went skidding across the room. Her eyes flashed in anger and her balled fists shook in effort from not to slap him. She swore in her head. This... this... _booby, _he would remain single his whole life. Curse him! How _dare _he say that to her, when he was the one flirting with all those girls back there? She almost flung his firewhiskey in his face, but didn't, thankfully. That would only make matters worse.

Before she could do anything rash, she strode furiously across the room, grabbed her cloak and barged into the rain outside. Her shoulders shook with sobs as she darted into a small alleyway and leaned against a wall, trying to steady herself. Her tears were lost in the rainwater, so anyone who happened to walk by wouldn't be able to notice she was crying. Only one question came to her mind: Why? Now everyone would treat her like scum. Any idiot knew that in Hogwarts, rumors traveled fast. Now they would all think she was a despicable person, for trying to kiss James Potter when she was dating Amos Diggory. And the fact remained that she supposedly 'hated' him.

Now she knew that it was definitely _not _the right time to kiss him. Aaargh! Someone had to help her. She was reduced to something so broken that if no one pulled her together in time, she would collapse into nothing. She sighed.

Secrets never remain secrets for long.

* * *

**I honestly have no idea when I'm going to get the next chapter up, but it'll most probably be in about a week and a half. So keep in touch. :) **


	15. It's All the Imperius Curse's Fault

**Sorry for the long wait! I was busy, but now I hope I'll be able to update faster. Enjoy (but I can tell you'll probably not, towards the end), and tell me how it is (you'll probably say it sucks, because of the end), and I hope you'll like it (I'm sure half the people won't). **

**But, don't go by what I say here. I, for one, like this chapter, but that's just me. I'd be really happy if any of you guys like it too! :) **

* * *

"So what do I do?" asked Lily.

They were patrolling. Her and Remus, the night after she came back from Hogsmeade. She had somehow mumbled her way through with James afterwards, taking care not to speak too much, and the security at Hogwarts increased drastically from their 'efforts'. The teachers actually added more defense spells to Hogwarts in general, in order to protect it more efficiently. And from Lily and James' talks, the patrolling time increased as well, to at least three hours. This was insane, in Lily's opinion, because she wasn't a late sleeper and had a lot of problems getting up early without sufficient sleeping hours.

It was an hour past curfew, and they were walking along the sixth floor corridor, wands at the ready, without even knowing why. But caution was the most important thing now, because _anything _could happen and they needed to be ready.

For the past hour, Lily was barely conscious of her mouth opening and closing without even stopping once. It was remarkable; in sixty minutes, she had spilled everything to Remus, whom she trusted more than anyone except Hestia. From the very beginning- what happened in Madam Malkin's shop (she had no idea he knew already, but he nevertheless nodded and kept her going), and what exactly happened in the Forbidden Forest the night Bellatrix attacked, and whatever weird feelings she had for James which she understood over time, and how James changed _so _much from what he used to be before, and her diary, and what she wrote in it, and about the dance and what idiocy had been played on her part, and, finally, the incident in the Three Broomsticks.

She shut her mouth and waited for him to say something, gradually going red in the face with embarrassment. After about five seconds of unbearableness on Lily's part, Remus finally managed a snort of laughter, which immediately triggered hoots of guffaws, and within seconds, he actually had to grab Lily's shoulder to keep himself from falling to the floor. The flush in Lily's cheeks slowly became deeper by the second, and she was about to lose it, when he withdrew his hand and wiped a tear from his eye. His jaw was still moving with weak chuckles, but he made a visible effort to control it. After clearing his throat, he looked at her very serious.

"So that's it, then?" he asked shortly.

"In a nutshell," she nodded, and was not surprised to see Remus try to hide another laugh.

"Okay," he said after steadying himself. "So you're asking me what I think you should do?"

"Yes, damn it!" she asked impatiently. She was definitely _not _in the mood for games. It took all her self control just to manage to _talk _to him about it, and she wasn't about to be toyed with!

"Gosh, Lily," he shook his head. "I've heard girls are complicated, but what you just said made me actually want to jump out the window."

"Shut up!" she said irritably as he laughed. "Shut up! Look, if you don't have anything to say, then just _don't _say anything, I'll be so much happier."

"Sorry," he said, slightly abashed. "I just- Wow! Just let me register all that in my head, and then I'll talk, it's too much to take in…" he closed his eyes and made a show of 'registering it in his head' before he opened them and turned back to her. "What you just said…"

"Yeah?"

"Is bad." He ended bluntly. "Look, I'm no expert, but I can bet that by this time tomorrow, you're most likely going to have been bashed over the head or something. Trust me. The only reason it hasn't happened already is because you spent all of yesterday with the teachers trying to help the school."

"God! This isn't helping, Remus!" Lily said in annoyance.

"I know it isn't," he agreed. "But I think you know, if you have to do something, it's going to be tomorrow or never. Get it?"

Lily nodded slowly. He was right. The sooner, the better. Now or never. It all came down to tomorrow. What she would choose to do tomorrow. And the feeling didn't give her even a single ounce of comfort. On the contrary, it gave her gut a terrible twist of nervousness. Could she manage?

"Look-" he forcefully made her turn to face him instead of looking down at the floor. "I can't tell you what to do, Lily! I'm a boy and you're a girl, after all. And I don't want to get you all nervous, either. But it's a fact- if you don't do something tomorrow, or, at closest, the day after, then it's going to be one, hard year for you. And you don't want that, with N.E.W.T.s and everything, right? So my suggestion, whatever you need to do, do it tomorrow." And he gave her a soft pat on the back with a small smile, and faced the front again.

"Thanks a lot," she said somewhat sarcastically. He nudged her playfully and she smiled.

"Why don't you talk to Hestia? I'm sure she'll say something that helps," he suggested.

"Hest? Oh, the first thing she'll do is break out screaming. _No _thanks," she rolled her eyes. "And besides. She isn't here right now, and you are, and I felt like if I didn't say something to anyone soon I was going to blow."

"I see," he said. "Oh! Look! There comes Diggory with Mary." Lily's head snapped upwards as she beheld the two of them coming up the staircase just as they were going down it. She automatically gave the pair of them a look of loathing, unsure of which she hated more.

"Oh, and he's flirting with her, as usual," she snorted. Indeed, Amos was flirting with Mary MacDonald, who was throwing annoyed looks at him.

"Want me to shut that infernal trap for you, Lily? I've always wanted to," Remus asked, gesturing at Amos.

"No!" she said forcefully as Mary and Amos ascending ever closer, but failed to notice them at the top of the stairs. "No! I'll tell you what we'll do; we'll ignore them. That's what they deserve." And with that, she descended with her chin in the air. Remus shrugged in approval and followed her.

"Ah! Lily, there you are!" Amos finally noticed her, and darted up the remaining steps. She snorted in disgust. How long was this game going to go on? _Till tomorrow, _she found herself thinking.

"I'm tired," she said gruffly, pushing him away. "Remus, could you go on without me? I think I might just lie down for a while," she knew Amos would offer to escort her, so before he could, and without waiting for an answer from Remus, she went up the staircase instead, slipping out of Amos' reach.

_Till tomorrow._

* * *

She stirred groggily the following morning, momentarily wondering why she felt so uneasy inside. Of course, it didn't take her more than ten seconds to grasp the situation, at the end of which she groaned. It was a weird groan, and she could hardly believe that a groan could contain so much feeling.

She slouched over to her dresser, rubbing at her eyes. She had gotten up quite late, and would be pressed to get to class on time. But for the first time ever, she didn't mind. For the first time ever, she actually took in every single detail of her room, knowing that this was probably the last time she would see it in this way. It all depended on that day. She felt a strange twist in her gut at the same moment. She still had no idea what she was going to do about it, seeing as the second she had gotten back the previous night she had fallen asleep before her head hit the pillow. James was still stuck doing rounds with the Hufflepuff girl prefect, thankfully.

She blinked as her dresser went out of focus. It appeared again in sharp view, and she noticed a fresh letter awaiting her near a photo frame. She tore it open eagerly- it would be from Evie, of course. She had kept in touch with her since as long as she could remember. If she had happened to open her drawer, she would see piles upon piles of opened letters, all from Evie. She had become almost of a best friend to Lily. Her charm and sweetness, she now realized, could be even the most powerful Dark wizard's undoing. She smiled to herself as she read the letter. Evie had long since assured her that word of their contact was definitely going unnoticed by James, which made relief encase Lily. She could trust Evie not to say anything to anyone, and it was almost as if her very pride relied upon Evie's word. She had certainly submitted to Evie's charm and wit long ago, and had spilled even her deepest, darkest secrets to her. She had never really met Evie in person, much to her disappointment, but somehow knew that it would soon come to pass.

Without thinking twice, she grabbed a quill and being decreasingly aware of her hand flying across a roll of parchment in desperation (for Merlin knew her letter would not fit into a measly piece), she described all of Saturday's happenings at Hogsmeade. It was futile, and she knew it, because Evie's reply would never reach her in time, but she couldn't help but confide in her.

At last she was finished, and as she sealed the roll in satisfaction, her eyes automatically fell upon the watch at her wrist.

She almost screamed in horror. She should have known; what took her an hour to tell Remus, and even that wasn't even in much detail, not mentioning the fact that it was verbal; she had taken almost an hour and a half to write the letter. She had skipped most of her first class, but that didn't matter much because it was Arithmancy and she hadn't applied for it. No, the real problem was that she had 'bunked' most of her second class as well. Transfiguration. _McGonagall is going to kill me! _she thought in increasing worry. No teacher had ever yelled at her before. Ever! And now she was subjected to McGonagall's fury. Plus, she wasn't even dressed properly. Her book bag needed to be packed. Her letter needed to be posted. And she needed to have breakfast, should she be lucky enough to get there before the house elves made everything disappear.

She had never missed class before. Not once. It wasn't her style. And yet she didn't feel like getting up from her chair.

She groaned again. Slowly, she emptied her book bag and began to fill it according to the day's time-table. The task took her the better part of ten minutes, during which her feelings of apprehension clouded most of her vision.

By the time she made it to class, it was near the end of the period. Now, the smart Lily who had not gone insane with worry would have been wise to wait until class was over and then just go to the next one. Unfortunately, Lily's mind was probably in its worst state by then, and she wasn't thinking straight. She stumbled into the classroom and asked all too innocently, "May I come in, Professor?"

"Miss Evans!" McGonagall clearly did not enjoy scolding Lily, but she knew that teachers were not allowed to pick favorites and she had to. The entire class turned to look at her at precisely the same moment, making it appear comical, and Lily bit back a laugh.

"Yes?" she asked, going red in the face as James looked at her with a sort of intensity. _Will you stop that! _she yelled as loud as she could in her head, as if hoping it would reach his ears, but to no avail. She continued to scream in her head_, _cursing James for making her blush in front of the entire class, but he obviously didn't hear.

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall half-yelled, nostrils flaring. "Miss Evans, I've never known you to be so... _ignorant. _I demand a reason for this, which I'm sure we'd all be delighted to hear."

Lily could not stop her cheeks burning even more ferociously than before. She avoided everyone's gaze, specially those of James and McGonagall, and stared at the wall instead. What was she supposed to say? _I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall! But I tried to kiss James Potter when I was dating Amos Diggory, and now I'm too ashamed of showing my face to anyone too normal for me. _she thought stupidly. Yeah, right!

"I'm sorry, Professor! But I was up too late last night because of patrols, and I overslept," Lily said carefully. Okay. How thick'd McGonagall have to be to believe that?

"Oh? Have you looked at the time, Miss Evans? Surely you haven't slept for more than _ten hours?" _

Lily acknowledged the truth behind McGonagall's statement. Now what would she say?

"I'm a late sleeper?" she made it seem more of a lie when she said it like a question more than a statement. Curses!

"Miss Evans, you tell me the real reason here and now," McGonagall advanced rapidly towards her, her voice heavy with impatience. "Or I'll see to it you get a week's worth of detentions! I mean not to waste my time here, if you will. My detailed description of Animagi was interrupted when you barged into the classroom, now make the time count and tell me!"

"To be honest, Professor?" Lily gulped, drawing her neck away from McGonagall's icy stare, the tip of her sharp nose inches away from Lily's. "I'd rather have a week's worth of detentions,"

She surprised even herself at her boldness. Her first feeling was of fear, but than it gradually changed to daring as McGonagall's contorted features slipped in surprise. The entire class gasped, except for a few (namely the Marauders) who grinned with praise instead. Striving to repair her wounded ego, McGonagall clenched her teeth and straightened her back smartly.

"Very well," she said in a controlled voice. "An entire week's detentions it is! I expect you at my office today, Miss Evans. Eight o' clock."

"Yes, Professor," Lily said quietly, as if hoping to mask her outburst by saying something innocently.

"Get to your seat, Miss Evans. Or should I say, get out the door, the period's almost over."

Lily hung her head, abashed, and slipped into the seat beside Hestia. McGonagall strided back to the front of the class, speaking loudly about Animagi once again. The Marauders seemed not to pay attention, which surprised Lily. _Even James? _she thought in suspicion. Even he was whispering openly with Remus. This surprised her to no end, because he was usually the one who got top marks in Transfiguration, and who was very taken to the subject. She knew this, because she felt like killing him every year for beating her, and because she was there in Ollivander's shop in their very first year, when they had to buy wands. She could still hear Ollivander saying that James' wand was perfect for Transfiguration. _Another secret? _she wondered. Her suspicions didn't prove anything, of course, but she felt angry all the same.

"All right! Homework- a three-and-a-half foot roll of parchment describing Animagi. And not like the horrible ones you wrote in third year, mind. Proper ones! Everything you know about them, to be given in Friday. And, Miss Evans?" McGonagall said sharply as everyone stood up and began filling their bags. "Five feet for you,"

Lily's mouth dropped open all the way to the floor. _Five feet? _she thought incredulously. _Is she crazy? That's about six inches short of _my _height! _

"Relax," Hestia said as they left the classroom, Lily stomping around in anger. "Relax!" she said again. "Come on, look at it this way- you always thought three feet was really short for you." Hestia winced as Lily just began to bang around even louder.

"Not. Helping." she said through gritted teeth. "_Five feet, _Hest! Is she out of whatever mind she has left? I can't possibly write five feet in four days! And there's the assignment Slughorn's given us. And Sprout's! And Flitwick's! And-"

"Stop!" Hestia said loudly. "Stop it! Can you do anything about it, Petal? No! Other than write it! So guess what you have to do?!"

"Write it," Lily groaned.

"Exactly." said Hestia. "Now go eat a cake or something. You've got time till lunch."

"But I don't want to eat a cake!"

"Fine, but I've got to go. Gotta meet Jerk." Hestia added, bounding off towards the staircase. Lily was left alone in the corridor, in a very bitter mood.

The walk to the seventh floor corridor was a very long and hard one. Every step she took made the ink bottles in her bag clunk around, annoying her to no end. At last, she reached the Heads' dorm, taking in the familiar smell of it gratefully. It was almost like home to her, after weeks of residing in it. She slumped against her chair, spreading a roll of parchment across her desk. She had time now, why not use it to write her assignment? She pulled her Tranfiguration book out of her bag, as well as her quill and ink bottle. Then she began to write.

It felt like she was writing forever.

"Want help?" came a voice from very close to her. She didn't even hear him approach. She almost jumped, but held her ground. Instead, she jumped around inside, feeling her stomach bounce around like an irritating ball of sorts. And she couldn't help it. What help could _he _possibly give her?

And she was surprised. They had barely spoken for two days. Why now? And she wasn't ready yet. She didn't want to talk. All she wanted was to finish the blasted essay. _Without _his help.

"No," she said without lifting her head up. "Why, though? Don't you have your own essay to do?"

"Yeah, but I can finish it faster than you think. And it looks like _you're _the one who needs to finish it faster than me."

She couldn't control her anger. Why couldn't he _stop trying _to help her every chance he got? It was sweet of him, and she knew it, but would he have done the same for anyone else? No!

"I'm doing fine, thanks," she said coldly.

"What's wrong with you?" he swooped in suddenly, grabbing the quill from her hand, thus preventing her from continuing. She spun her head around, her hair flying angrily.

"Give that back!" she yelled, not exactly knowing where her anger was coming from.

"Not until you tell me what's gotten you all worked up!"

"I don't know!" she said truthfully.

"Really?" he twiddled the quill between his fingers, making Lily's eyes flash in irritation.

He made her think for a bit. What was she really angry for? At McGonagall? At him? At Diggory? At _who, _exactly? Or was it all of them? Or was she just finding an excuse to be angry for no reason at all?

"No, you're right. This is stupid." she sighed. "Just give me that back, and I'll finish this," she used the worst swear word she knew,"assignment before McGonagall decides to increase it from five feet to six."

"Fine! But I'm helping."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." and as if to prove his point he snatched her book and leafed through it, his eyes narrowed in concentration. The very sight made Lily want to laugh. She had never seen him so intent at reading.

Also, she seemed a bit surprised. Why didn't he bring up the Hogsmeade visit? He usually did, whenever this sort of thing happened before, as soon as he could. It was weird, to her... or had he changed, again?

"You don't want to talk?" she voiced her thoughts, immediately regretting it.

"About what?" he tried to act nonchalant, but failed by letting his cheeks flush a brilliant red.

"Nothing. Never mind." she waved her hand around, furious with herself for bringing it up when neither of them wanted to. And, in spite of herself, she felt... _sad _that he didn't want to talk. She really, really thought he would.

"Okay, then, let's do this." he slammed the book down on the desk, pointing to a page at the very back of the book. "There! All you need, right there. Just add a lot of fancy words in between, and you'll be fine. Oh yeah! And plus, I've got a lot of Animagi books upstairs, I'll go get them..." he clapped a hand to his forehead in realization, and darted up the stairs to his bedroom.

_Why does he have a bunch of books on Animagi? _Lily wondered. But, as always, it didn't mean anything, and it wouldn't help to pursue it, other than to tear them apart yet again. She would just have to forget it. _If _that was possible.

* * *

Remus told Peter everything in the first class, Arithmancy.

"Why do you look so weird?" Remus asked as the teacher droned on. Indeed, Peter was looking pale and clammy, something which he hoped Remus would not notice.

_Lily? James? No! _he groaned in his head. "N-No! I'm fine, Moony. Seriously. Let's talk later, okay? I need to pay attention." Peter said. Remus shrugged and turned to face the front, as did he. But he lied; he wasn't going to be paying attention. Or rather, he was going to be paying attention to something else.

_Last year, _he thought. _I would have been happy for them. Why, oh _why _did I have to join the Dark Lord? What did I think I would have gained? And now, because of me, the Dark Lord is going to hurt Lily. _

He couldn't think of a way out. He knew that Lily meant everything to Voldemort, and now, because of him, she would die. Or worse, she would be held captive and be forced to serve him. Merlin knew he had his ways. And he _had _to tell him about her. Voldemort was obviously eager for her help and wisdom, and had gone crazy ever since, determined to get her on his side.

_He's just using James to get to her, _he realized. Of course! That had been his plan. To get them closer, and then just remove James from the picture. _That's why he told me to do that! Everything! _

But there was no way out. He had already tried. It was _his _fault Lily was stuck in a love triangle right now. _He _had sent Amos upstairs when Lily had ran out of the Heads' dorm, just before the dance. _He _had made sure Amos was always butting in whenever she was with James. His fault. And somehow, he had felt proud that he had done something right. Well, he wasn't happy that Lily was so depressed, but _was _happy that he had managed to stall Voldemort's plans. But what would he do now?

_Just try and make her hate James again? _he suggested to himself. It was an offhand comment, but the moment he thought of it he knew that it was possible. It was! He could do it! He would never forgive himself for seeing her so angry and sad, but he knew it was necessary. For her sake. And for James'.

He only hoped that the Dark Lord would never discover his part in it.

_Brainstorm! _he grinned as he narrowed his eyes in concentration and thought of a plan.

* * *

Peter slouched his way towards the Great Hall for lunch. He had thought of a plan. The only way to make sure that Lily would hate James. He was angry that it had to be so drastic, but it _was _the only way, otherwise he would have thought of something else. He fingered his wand nervously. It was now or never. Lily was too close to breaking herself than anything imaginable. It had to be now.

He sat down beside Remus, opposite from Sirius and Hestia, who were currently having a smooch fest. Remus had his hands over his eyes and was blushing in obvious embarrassment, but Peter didn't mind. It was a perfect opportunity. He quickly glanced over to his left, where Mary MacDonald was busy gossiping with her group of friends, and almost smiled, but his mouth failed himself. He now felt his gut clench in fear and anxiety. He quietly pulled his wand out of his pocket, conscious of each rustle it made as it slid across his robes.

He readied himself as James and Lily walked into the hall. He nearly lifted his wand, but stopped to watch them happy for a second. He felt guilt claw his insides as he saw their laughing figures, telling himself he was stupid for what he was about to do.

"_Imperio," _he whispered, and shivered as a chill ran through his spine. Mary MacDonald's eyes glazed over. She slowly got to her feet, and walked in a fast trot towards Lily and James.

"_Imperio," _he whispered again, as Mary crashed into them and he lifted the curse from her shoulders. That's when James stood up straight suddenly, looking at Mary curiously.

"Oh! Hello, James," Mary flushed breathlessly, ignoring Lily completely. Lily huffed in annoyance.

"Hi, Mary! Did I mention how great you look today?" James grinned. Lily and Mary both just stared at him in shock. Then Mary finally spoke up.

"N-No! You didn't, actually. Thanks! You look great too."

"Get out of here, Mary," Lily snarled.

"No!" James said, pleading showing in his voice. "Stay." he added to Mary, whose cheeks shone in both anticipation and happiness. Lily raised her eyebrows, not expecting that answer from him.

"Okay!" Mary said eagerly. "But why do you want me to stay?"

_Now I think you're going too far, _Peter thought to himself, cutting his mind off from James. But this was the bomb. It had to happen, or his plan wouldn't work. The last thing he felt was regret, before he joined his mind with James again and said, _kiss her. _

And so James kissed her. The whole hall went quiet, like it had done so many times that year. Even Sirius and Hestia broke apart and stared at him and shock. But mostly, everyone was looking at Lily, to see how she would react. It was like an instinct.

Lily hadn't moved. She just stared and stared until James pulled away, as soon as Peter lifted the Imperius Curse.

_What- What just happened? _James thought. That's when dread filled him. _I didn't. No! Oh Merlin, I actually did. _he followed with a bunch of swear words before he finally turned to face Lily. He couldn't look at Mary anymore. She _was _pretty, but she wasn't for him. And seeing her standing there feeling triumphant, he didn't want to witness.

Lily had tears streaming down her face, without even knowing it. Just looking at her, realizing the full force of the act he had just committed made a lump appear in his throat.

"Lily-" he said quietly.

"Don't!" he said, he voice echoing off all the four walls of the hall. Even the teachers were watching. "JUST DONT!" she yelled, and burst into sobs. She was angry as it was. Ever since that morning. And he had to go and turn her on. She couldn't even stop the tears. And she didn't even try. Who cared if the whole hall saw? Let them see. They didn't matter to her.

"Lily, just listen! I'll-"

"NO, YOU WON'T!" she screamed. "YOU WON'T DO ANYTHING! AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY!" she jabbed a finger in his chest, and he stepped backwards. Mary was just watching stupidly. "BECAUSE IF YOU DO, I'M GOING TO HURT YOU! SO JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY- G-GO-" she broke down. She couldn't go on. And even if he _didn't_ do anything, she wanted to hurt him anyway. _How could he do that? _she thought miserably. But she couldn't hurt him, even if every cell in her body was screaming at her to do it. His eyes were just so guilty-looking. And, the fact remained that he was _James. _James Potter. Who had almost kissed her in Hogsmeade. She couldn't hurt him.

But that didn't mean that she wouldn't try to.

"I hate you," she said as loud as she could, and almost felt him wince. She couldn't look at him any longer. Even though every detail of his face was crystal clear to her. His eyes, the perfect color of hazel, and the glasses that reflected their sharpness and always made her want to run away and hide. His hair, black as a raven, and so messy as if a tornado had gone through it, which always made her want to touch it, to feel its softness. Basically, everything about him. His smile. His eyebrows quirked, when he thought. His glasses which were always, and probably purposely, at an angle to his face.

She ran out of the hall. A tear actually rolled down Peter's cheek as he stared at James' utterly shocked face, Mary's glowing eyes, and Sirius, Hestia, and Remus looking at James as if he were just a piece of dirt. He quickly wiped his cheek and bit his lip before he could start to cry and embarrass himself in front of the entire school, his entire being shaking in the enormity of the- _crime _was the perfect word for it- he had just committed. He knew it was necessary, but did he have to go this far? Did he have to change the lives of his greatest friends forever? They didn't deserve that, and it was all his fault. He took a deep breath and, with all of his misery and guilt pouring into one, deep feeling, he thought, _I hate myself._

* * *

**Please don't kill me! But I promise- it gets better, I'm sure you'll like it then. And if you want, you can PM me about anything or you can review or you don't have to do either. But I would really appreciate it if you would tell me how it is. :)**


	16. Getting Through

**I think you'll like this chapter more than the last one... it's not all hugs and kisses but in my opinion, it shouldn't be as sad as the last one. Tell me what you think! **

* * *

James stared after Lily as she ran out of the hall. His mind was blank. All he could see was... everything, but he couldn't think. There was Mary, looking as if she had become queen of the world, his friends, his _best _friends in the universe looking at him like he was an ungrateful bastard. Except Peter- he really looked like he was about to cry. _At least someone still likes me, _he thought finally, in a sarcastic manner.

That's when he ran out of the hall after her. The hall was so quiet that the sound of his footsteps reverberated off the walls of the Great Hall, the only noise, probably throughout the castle. _Except for Lily, _he thought, furious with himself, as he ran across the entrance hall calling out her name. _How am I going to fix this? What'll she think of me? _Why _did I do that in the first place?_

That was the real question- why did he do that in the first place? He was walking through the hall with Lily, and then... Mary came running up to him. But after that? _It's all just fuzzy... _he stopped on the first floor, and closed his eyes tightly, trying to recall what happened. _I felt like I was lying on a cloud or something... like every bad feeling just vanished and I was the happiest guy on earth. But why? _

His eyes snapped open and his mouth dropped in disbelief. Only one thing could have done that to him; he knew he wouldn't have kissed Mary on his own accord. Something had been controlling him.

"I've been Imperiused," he whispered to himself, shaking his head as a tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it off with his sleeve. "God! Who could have done that? And why? I-" he stopped as he took several heavy breaths. His anger was uncontrollable. What sort of an idiot would have made him kiss Mary? What would they have gained? Except for seeing him and Lily miserable, nothing else came to mind.

"Whoever did this," he muttered. "Is going to pay." he threw open every door in the corridor, looking for Lily. She wasn't there. She was _nowhere. _But he knew that if he didn't do something soon, it would be the end of the world, for him. _No, it will be the end of the world for me and that complete, _he used a word which would have surely earned him a detention, _who did this to me. _

* * *

Lily hugged her knees to her chest as she stared at the ceiling of the Transfiguration room. She had no more tears to shed. It was all lost. Her heart both jumped and sank as she recalled what Remus had told her... _you have to do something tomorrow. _And how she had felt that she would never see her room in the same way again, that morning. She gave a hollow laugh.

"Well, you were right, Remus," she whispered. "But it wasn't me, it was Potter who did something. Ah well, I guess it could have worked either way. Could you thank him for relieving me of all my misery?" she let out a sob, but no tears came out. She figured the best way to calm herself down was to call James 'Potter', like before. She remembered the night she visited him in St. Mungo's, and how Potter didn't sound right to her. But now, it was the only name she had for him.

"What are you going to do?" she asked herself. She figured that talking to yourself helped more than talking to others about it, and tried to act like she was two sides of the same person. "This morning, you thought that he would have never have helped another person in their Transfiguration homework. He would only help you, because you're _you. _You're not Mary. He wouldn't have helped Mary, and now...

He wasn't himself.

That's what you want to believe.

He would never have acted like that with her! Especially not after what happened in Hogsmeade.

Maybe he's not the person you thought he was. Maybe it was all just a mask, to hide everything.

No.

He didn't want to talk in the morning.

Maybe it's because he's changed.

Yeah, well, you've figured that out."

Her self-talk was interrupted as the door shot open. She saw James walk inside and dived under a desk, not wanting him to see her.

"Come on, Lily, where are you?" she heard him mutter to himself. She got up instinctively at hearing his voice, but banged her head on the underside of the desk and bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain. She fell back to the ground, cursing herself for making such a loud noise while rubbing the sore spot on her head.

_"_I heard that," James said, a bit louder. "Look, I know you're in here, Lily, but I'm not going to overturn every desk to try and find you," he walked in between the desks anyway, muffling his footsteps so she wouldn't hear. "And I know you're not okay so I'm not going to ask. But..." he took a deep breath while peeking under the desks to find a sign of a foot or a hand. "I want you to know, I'm not okay too! What you saw, wasn't what you saw. It was more than that, and if you can just let me explain it..." something creaked and he stopped, darting his eyes across the room for the source. "And before you kill me, I'm saying that I know the last thing you want right now is to talk to me. I get it, okay? I get you," he closed his eyes. He was going too far. "But I'm here, so-," he ducked his head under a desk and caught Lily's gleaming green eyes filled with tears and felt his face soften. For a second, she looked sad, but then her face contorted into such anger that he was forced to withdraw his head from the desk and stumble back a couple of paces. He only had to wait a second before she came out from under it as well, throwing back her hair as she approach, a wild look in her eyes.

"But I don't want you to be here!" she said with a snarl in her voice. "I don't want you here _at all. _And you don't need to get me, Potter. You need to get _it." _She could tell her words stung him as he winced. "You know what you just said? It may have meant something to you, or to anyone else, but to me it was a big, fat lie. You always lie. And I _don't _like liars!" she screamed the last word out loud. "Those words mean nothing to me. But since you and Big Mac are _so _alike, maybe you could tell something like that to her, she might do something to make you feel better. You know what I mean? To help you through _all _the things you're going through. All the sad, sad things." Lily whipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned around, deliberately smacking James across the face. And she walked straight out of the room, her hair bouncing on her back in anger and sadness.

_She called me Potter, _he thought miserably, his thoughts diverting to the person who caused it. _Merlin, you'll be lucky if half you're face isn't burned through when I get you. "_You hear?" he said out loud, as if beckoning to the person responsible. "You'll be lucky if you live."

* * *

"Padfoot," James called desperately. Sirius just stuck his chin up in the air and ignored him completely. They were in an empty corridor, and James was spending about half an hour calling his name while Sirius just refused to answer. "Padfoot! Please listen to me. C'mon, you're my best friend. Best friends are supposed to listen to each other!"

"Don't waste your breath. Remus already told me everything about you and Lily, so I don't need to hear anything more!"

"Yes, you do! Padfoot, come on. You're the only one who might've listened, so that's why I'm here! There's more to it! Please," he added.

"Okay," Sirius rolled his eyes and relaxed his tight arm-fold. "But this is _only _because you're my best mate." James nodded.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, impatient to continue. "So, are you listening? Because I know that this will sound like the most craziest and most idiotic thing in the world-"

"Like Wormtail?" Sirius piped up with a foolish grin on his face. James narrowed his eyes at him, and Sirius put a finger over his mouth and gestured him to continue.

"Okay. So, I think I've been Imperiused." Sirius just stared at him with big eyes and didn't laugh, like James expected him to, but instead put an arm around his shoulders and yanked him towards a corner.

"Okay. I believe you," he whispered.

"You do?" James said, surprised.

"Well, do I have any reason not to? You're the one who felt it, I'm just _believing _that you felt it," he winked. "Besides, I knew you weren't you when you snogged her in the Great Hall."

"Thanks," James sighed. "You don't know how much that-"

"Who could have done it?" Sirius asked suddenly. "Merlin, Prongs, you've got to go talk to Lily-Flower! Well, she might not believe you, or maybe just slap you instead, that's what Twat would've done- ah well, but you've _still _got to talk to her! Or, if were me, just skip the talking and go right to the shagging-"

"Shut up!" James yelled. "God, Padfoot. I knew I should have told Remus instead."

"He wouldn't have listened." Sirius said shortly. "Trust me, Prongs- once _she _gets to know, everyone gets to know. That's your best shot."

"She's in the dorm." James said. "You sure? Maybe I should go tell Dumbledore first?"

"Look, I know I'm not very good with the ladies, and it's just Twat who I can handle," Sirius scratched the back of his neck. "But I'm telling you, if the whole school gets to know before Lily does, then boy, is she going to be pissed. Dumbledore can wait, Flower... not so much."

"Okay, then. I'll see you in Charms," James said, and ran off towards the staircase. Sirius grinned.

_I'm so proud of my little boy, _he thought, and shook his head. Then his grin faltered. _Wait, what did I just say? _

* * *

Hestia banged on the door to Lily's bedroom.

"I'm warning you, Petal, if you don't get your pitiful arse over to this door, then I'm _seriously _going to bang it down." she yelled. Lily had put a charm on the door so she couldn't open it even by magic. She didn't want to be so harsh on her, but if that was what it took to make her open the door, then it was enough. "Hear me, Lily? Come on, you can't sulk forever, let me talk to you!"

"You'll just laugh at me," Lily's muffled sniffle came from inside.

"Merlin," Hestia rolled her eyes and muttered to herself. "Look, if I had drawn a list of people to laugh at, you wouldn't be on it."

"If I tell you everything, I'm sure I would."

"God, Lily!" Hestia roared. "Just open the damn door!"

"No."

Hestia swore and pushed her hair back out of her eyes. What would she have to do to get her out of her room? "I've been here for fifteen minutes." she said carefully. "And if you think that a person banging on her best friend's door for fifteen minutes trying to move her butt out of there is going to laugh at you, then you're wrong, Lily! Come on, I'm not Diggory, or MacDonald, or Snape, or Petunia. You know who I am, so get a hold of yourself and open the door!" _If that didn't do the trick, then she's just too stubborn, _Hestia thought, taking a deep breath. _But I know she's not, so- _

The door creaked open slowly and Lily's tear-stained face peeked out from the sliver of open doorway. Hestia almost couldn't recognize her. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes bloodshot to the core, her cheeks streaked with tears and, surprisingly, both of her knuckles covered in fresh blood.

"Merlin, Lily, what happened to your hands?" Hestia asked incredulously, grabbing one and massaging it gently.

"Oh, that?" Lily laughed weakly. "I got those while punching my wall over there, see?" she pointed to the wall behind her and Hestia groaned. Blood was dripping from several, four-in-a-row red spots on the wall. "Oh, Lily," she put a hand to her forehead. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," she said, and Hestia pulled out her wand.

"No! Don't heal it," Lily yanked her hand away. "I don't want you to heal it. I want to keep it. Please?" she added in such a pitiful voice that even Hestia almost cried.

"Okay," she said quietly, putting her wand back in her pocket. "Now are you going to tell me everything?"

"I like James Potter," Lily said bluntly.

"I've kind of figured that out," Hestia rolled her eyes.

"And the night of the dance I went back to the dorm and cried and spent the whole night with him because I hate Amos Diggory,"

"You WHAT?"

"And I almost kissed him in Hogsmeade and I didn't tell you because I knew you would tease me," she finished, blushing as she awaited Hestia's reply. Hestia's mouth opened and closed several times before she found her voice.

"Is- Is that all?" she asked.

"Pretty much," she nodded.

"Wow! I mean, that sucks. I mean, _that _doesn't suck, it just sucks that-" Hestia blabbered, and cleared her throat. "Want to talk?"

"By 'talk' if you mean kicking butts, then I'm in,"

"You're going to kick my butt?" Hestia asked blankly.

"Not _your _butt, everyone else's butts."

"Um... how many people do you hate exactly?" Hestia asked cautiously.

"Right now, I want to kick the butts of the people I _don't _hate as well."

"I think we'd better not." Hestia said.

"Maybe just a few?" Lily asked hopefully. "Well, I'm already done with Potter, so I guess that leaves... Diggory, MacDonald, and Snape. You okay with that?"

"No!" Hestia said impatiently. "Come on, I came here to help you, Lily! We need to fix this, right now. Now!"

"You don't get it, Hest," Lily whispered. "This isn't my fault! Did you see what he did in there? Why do _I _have to fix this? _He _does! Or rather, he needs to try. Because he isn't going to be successful, but he needs to try, at least."

"No, Lily," Hestia whispered back. "I know you're the victim. I know that everyone has their way but you. But you have to understand, you're part of a love..." she thought for a second. "rectangle now, and you have to take care of that! And now tell me. James, what did he say?"

"I didn't let him say anything," Lily said. Hestia sighed. "Why are you acting like I'm the one to blame here? Because I'm not! And I'm not going to do anything about this!"

"You're not going to do anything about this because you want James to pay for what he did, right?" Hestia said, but Lily kept silent. "And you've got to know, there are two sides to every story, Lily. You've got one side, he's got the other. And if you don't care enough to listen, then what's the use of all this?" she demanded.

"I'm not going to act weak," she said firmly.

"Grragh!" Hestia stomped in frustration. "Can you stop being so stubborn and open your eyes for a second, Petal? This is not going to work out like you think it is! If you want to get rid of all your problems, then you've got to have someone! And don't say it's me, because it's not. You've got to do it together. You," she poked Lily chest. "And him." she pointed a thumb over her shoulder.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Lily rolled her eyes. Hestia turned around and realized that, coincidentally James had been right behind her when she pointed. He looked nervous, his hands shuffling around in his pockets and one of his toes tapping against the ground in a steady beat. Hestia stood up straight, breathing heavily.

"This time," she whispered in Lily's ear. "_Don't _kill him. Just don't." and then she left.

"What happened to your hands?" James asked worriedly. Lily took a deep breath, remembering what Hestia had said and struggled against the urge to slap him. But just because she couldn't do anything physically, she would still try to hurt his feelings a bit more.

"They got all screwed up when I was punching my wall, imagining it was you," she said. James winced as he looked at the wall behind her.

"Do you want me to-"

"No." she said angrily. "Don't do anything. You're lucky I haven't shoved your sorry arse up your face so whatever you have to say, do it now, or I swear I'll actually do it." she balled her hands into fists threateningly, using all her will to not scream out in pain from her knuckles.

"Okay," he said cautiously. "I need you to know what exactly happened in the Great Hall. I've already told Padfoot and I know it might sound a bit crazy, and I assure you I'm not making it up! I wouldn't lie to you again, not after..." he cleared his throat as Lily narrowed her eyes. She mostly didn't want to hear what he had to say, but couldn't help her curiosity. "I was Imperiused."

Lily just stared. Then she broke out laughing. Not her usual laughter, James noticed, but a far more teasing laugh filled with disbelief and improbablility on her part. Then she stopped as she saw him not flinching.

"Wait. You're serious?" she asked, and he nodded. "That means... so that's why... that's why you looked so different!"

"I looked different?"

"Yeah, your eyes. They looked... weird." she said. She saw him sigh in relief and thought that maybe, just maybe, she could forgive him. But she didn't have any proof of it, not yet.

"I thought you wouldn't believe me."

"I don't," she said shortly, and he looked at her, confused. "It's certainly not impossible, but how can I make sure you're telling the truth?"

"I thought you just said... my eyes looked weird?" he asked her. "And I certainly wouldn't kiss Mary MacDonald, not after Hogsmeade and yelling at Diggory. _Douche _Diggory" he paused and looked to see her expression. She almost smiled, but looked unconvinced. He would have to push it a bit further. "And I asked _you _to the dance, not Mary. And, like you said, I wouldn't have helped her in _her _Transfiguration homework, because she's not you." he was happy to see that Lily was on the verge of tears, but was trying not to show it. "And this morning... I was acting strange because I didn't know what I would say to you, and I was scared, a bit. Weren't you?"

"Yes, I was," he replied, trying not to show the sobs in her voice. "But I still don't believe you. How would they be so desperate that they would use the Imperius Curse?"

"There are a lot of desperate people in the world, Lily," he sighed. "In fact, all of us are desperate. _I'm _desperate to make you believe me. What are you desperate for?"

_I'm desperate for trying to believe you, _she thought, but didn't say it out loud. She didn't say anything about it, in fact. "I don't trust you anymore."

"I figured," he grinned. She almost smiled, but didn't.

"So you're not trying to get me to trust you?" she raised an eyebrow. I was certainly not like him.

James scanned all his thoughts for some wise words that would really touch her, and rewarded himself with one. It was something his Uncle Paul had once told him. "You can trust me only if you _think _you can trust me, Lily. And trying to make you won't work in the slightest. I'm just going to wait for you to make up your mind." and with that, he left the room, giving her a swift smile before descending the staircase.

"Well, that wasn't what I expected," she said to herself, confused, working out what James just said. _I can trust him... only if I think I can? What sort of stupid advice is that? _she thought. "YOU SUCK AT THIS, YOU KNOW?" she yelled, hoping it would reach his ears. She heard a faint laugh and something about telling his uncle that.

She was still angry at him, but not as much as before. She certainly didn't feel like creeping up to his bed in the middle of the night with a bread knife and stabbing him in his sleep anymore. She almost smiled, but caught herself. _Who would Imperius him? _she wondered. _Okay, scratch that... who would Imperius him and make him kiss Mary MacDonald? It's almost like... someone wanted to crush me. And him. But why? Or maybe they just hate us. _She looked at her bloody knuckles in disgust. She didn't let Hestia nor James heal them because... she didn't know why. But now, it was okay. Even though they pained like hell she was ready to withstand it, before. Now... she didn't think it was necessary. She wouldn't heal them by magic but...

She conjured up to pieces of cloth and wound them tightly around her hands. _To remind me never to lose control again._

She spent a few minutes writing in her diary (with great difficulty) when she realized something. _Dumbledore should know about this! I wonder if James has already told him? And if Dumbledore believes him? Ah, I'll just go after classes and see if I can talk to him. We have Charms now, after all. _She placed her diary on her dresser and picked up her bag to meet Hestia downstairs. She would be waiting for her, waiting to find out what had happened.

Lily threw herself in Hestia's arms and thought, _I think __I'm going to need a little more time. _

* * *

James ran through the Gryffindor common room, ignoring the stares from all around, and ran up to the boys' dormitories, where he found Sirius, Remus, and Peter sitting at their beds.

"Padfoot!" he yelled. They all jumped and turned to the doorway. As soon as Remus saw James he snorted and turned back to what he was doing. James ignored him and addressed Sirius, "Guess what? I think she believes me!"

"Prongs, that's great!" Sirius got up and clapped him on the back.

"So now you're siding with him, Sirius?" Remus asked incredulously.

"You would too if you heard what he has to say," Sirius shrugged. "Come on, Prongs, tell me- how long did it take?"

"Oh, I have to say- a few wise words from Uncle Paul did the trick," James winked.

"Always knew Paul was a Ravenclaw but never admitted it," Sirius shook his head.

"What did you tell her?" Peter asked curiously.

"Yeah, what did you tell her?" Remus narrowed his eyes.

"Well, I told her that..." James ran a hand through his hair nervously, not knowing how they'd react. "I think I've been Imperiused," he looked up and saw Remus just staring, taking it all in, and Peter, doing the same thing.

"Are- Are you sure?" Peter asked finally, his face paling.

"Pretty sure," James quirked an eyebrow, wondering why Peter was acting so weird.

"I don't believe you," Remus said, his face curious and confused.

"Yeah, well, that's what Lily said at first," James shrugged. "And I think I should go to Dumbledore about this. He'd know what to do."

"I think you're right." Remus said finally.

"You believe me?" James asked, surprised. He didn't know Remus would give in so fast.

"Hey! If Lily did, then so do I," Remus said, and James squirmed a bit. Lily hadn't _actually _agreed with him.

"No! You're wrong," Peter said quickly, and gulped as all three of them looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I said you're wrong! No one could have used an Unforgivable Curse in the castle. You're overreacting, and I-" he stopped as he realized what he was about to say. "Sorry," he added sheepishly.

"It's okay. Now come on, we're late for Charms," James said, and they all climbed down the staircase. Peter followed, wiping his sweaty palms on the hem of his robes, cursing himself. _Why does the world hate me so much? _he wondered as they exited the Tower. He was only trying to help! And the world just threw it in his face. What would he do now? _I'll think of something. _he thought. But if he had failed once, what made him so sure that he would not fail again? _Maybe before this year is over, _he thought as his heart sank. _They'll have caught me and I'd be off on my way to Azkaban. _

* * *

"Miss Evans, can I talk to you for a second?"

Lily turned around and found herself face-to-face with Professor McGonagall.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I believe we're late for Charms," Lily said, looking at her watch. Hestia, who was right beside her, nodded. They were in the third floor corridor, teetering from side to side from getting pushed from all sides by students hurrying to get to class. Some of them actually stopped to stare at Lily, who just ignored them as usual.

"Oh, I'll deal with that. Miss Jones, off you go, there's no need for you to be here as well," McGonagall said. Hestia quickly patted Lily on the shoulder and hurried off for Charms.

"What is it, Professor?" Lily asked.

"Good Lord, what has happened to your hands? " she said in shock, gesturing at Lily's bandages, which had turned bright red in spots.

"Oh! I got those while I was busy punching my wall." Lily said offhandedly. If McGonagall looked puzzled, she didn't show it.

"Ah, I see. I suggest you take a short trip to Madam Pomfrey. Look, Miss Evans, I've got no clue what's been going on between you and Mr. Potter," McGonagall rolled her eyes. "I try not to get into those things. But, as Mr. Black so often reminds me..." she shook her head partly in amusement. "Okay. That is none of your business."

"You mean what Sirius does to you?" Lily almost laughed, but bit her tongue. McGonagall blushed a bit.

"Don't make me take back what I'm about to do, Miss Evans." she said sternly. Lily's eyes resumed their attentive brightness.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's quite all right," said McGonagall. "And as I have _finally _figured out what has happened-"

"What?" Lily snapped. "What's happened?"

"After much digging, this is how I see it- you have been with Mr. Diggory against your will, but are too nice to tell him, and that you have been secretly been with Mr. _Potter, _without telling Diggory. I have never imagined you to be a backstabbing, disgraceful jerk, Miss Evans, but let's not go into that," McGonagall said very fast, eyeing Lily's open mouth. "And I have also come to realize that Miss MacDonald has been secretly been with Mr. Potter behind _your _back, which makes this whole thing a tad bit complicated, and that makes _her _a backstabbing, disgraceful jerk, and that today, in the Great Hall for breakfast, you unfortunately witnessed Potter displaying his affection for Miss MacDonald and have totally freaked out ever since."

Lily's mouth dangled open for several seconds, before she cleared her throat. "Ahem. Excuse me, Professor, but where have you heard all of..." she paused for a second to gulp in incredulity. "that?"

"I have my sources, Miss Evans," McGonagall rolled her eyes.

"But none of that is true!" she said in frustration. She wished she knew where people came up with all of these things. "Mostly," she added quietly.

"Aha!" McGonagall said triumphantly. "So I've got something right after all."

"Professor, surely you didn't get me out here to tell me that?" Lily asked, looking at her watch again. She was late, and the corridor was empty.

"No, I didn't, surprisingly," McGonagall said. "I came here to tell you that, out of sheer kindness on my part, I have cancelled your detentions. You don't have to come tonight at eight, nor any of the other nights. I have no idea what is going on with you, but I've taken the detentions away out of..." she trailed off as she tried to think of a word. _"pity," _she finished.

"Gosh, thanks, Professor!" Lily said, relieved.

"But you still have to do the extra homework." McGonagall reminded her.

"Yes, Professor, I won't forget." Lily assured her, whipping around and running towards the Charms classroom.

"Miss Evans, wait!" McGonagall called, and she turned around, a few yards away from the door. "I said I've cancelled your detentions," she began. "But I never said you didn't have to come around," she winked and trotted off towards her office. Lily smiled. That was nice of McGonagall- to call her to her office just for a talk. But she didn't really think she needed it.

She walked through the door, apologized to Professor Flitwick, and sat down beside James, who tried to push away Mary MacDonald, who was closing in on him from every possible direction. Flitwick finally made her sit back on her own seat, much to her displeasure, but just the opposite was present in Lily. She felt happy. James' eyes bore into her as they sat in silence, but she didn't blush. She even surprised herself by not feeling her cheeks heat up. She smiled automatically.

"Have you thought about it?" he asked, pleased with her reaction.

"Well, truth be told, you haven't given me much to think about," she said grumpily. She still hadn't lost all her anger though, by his description, none of it was his fault.

"I know," he said. "It doesn't make any sense, does it? 'You can trust me only if you think you can'. I really have to thank my Uncle Paul for that. And, just so you know... I tried to act smart, didn't know if it worked." she laughed.

"It worked if you think it worked," she retorted, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. "Anyway, seriously, though. What do you-"

"DID SOMEONE JUST SAY MY NAME?" Sirius roared, and everyone jumped.

"Shut up, Padfoot, let me talk to her!" James yelled back through the silence of the class.

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry." Sirius hung his head and teetered in his chair like a child filled with shame. James snorted. The class was filled with whispers and laughs once again.

"Sometimes, I really feel like chucking him in a ditch filled with worms," James snorted. "But anyway! You didn't tell me. Have you thought about it?"

"Yeah, and I think I should give you a second chance. Everyone deserves them, right?" Lily shrugged. "And _that _is how a smart person talks, by the way. Watch and learn."

"That didn't sound like a wise piece of advice!" James said. "Seriou- I mean, _honestly," _he corrected his mistake, not wanting Sirius to yell again. "Honestly, 'everyone deserves a second chance' is something a toddler would say. You've got to think deep, Lily! Go for the words, they always work."

"And you think 'You can trust me only if you think you can trust me' has a number of fancy words, James?" she retorted. "_Really?"_

_"_Hey, tell my Uncle Paul that," James winked, and Lily groaned. She had lost this pointless argument, and she knew it.

"You've lost this pointless argument, and you know it," James leaned back in his chair triumphantly. He couldn't help but notice that she had called him James again.

* * *

They had gone, him and Lily, to Professor Dumbledore's office that evening to tell him about the Imperius Curse. Lily said that she knew the password, and Professor Dumbledore said he would take immediate action and cast protective spells to prevent anyone from using the Unforgivable Curses inside Hogwarts. Lily and James were assured that nothing of the sort would ever happen again.

Lily couldn't believe it. She had forgiven James within two hours. That was just... unreal, on her part. If she had gone back to the time right after she had run out of the Great Hall, and had told herself that she would forgive James within two ours, then she surely wouldn't have believed it. She stared at the diary entry she had written that day and added a bit more to it. She read the whole thing once more and thought it sounded a bit weird.

_November 22_

_POTTER WILL BE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE BY THIS TIME TOMORROW! I DON'T MIND, I'LL MURDER HIM AND GET SENT TO AZKABAN FOR ALL I CARE, BUT HE. WILL. DIE. FOR WHAT HE DID TO ME. _

_That miserable arse of an idiot has crushed me and I intend to get him back for it. And once I've killed him, then I'll kill Snape, then Diggory, then Mary, then, if I can sqeeze them in, a couple more Slytherins tonight. With my luck, I'll get sent to prison for ten years or more and I think I'll be so much happier over there, with no more James' to break my heart, no more Petunias so stab me in the back, no more Alice Prewetts to break my heart as well, no more Severus' to do the same thing, no more mothers to ignore me, no more Diggorys and MacDonalds to annoy me. Ah, wouldn't that be the life? And every second I'll be in there I'll be thinking, 'He. Will. Die.'_

This was where dark blotches on the paper where her tears had sploshed it disappeared. And what followed was what she had written just after James left her room.

_I think I can trust James if I really mean it. I know he's a lying fat-ass but I just can't help it. I'm drawn to him in some way. In every way, maybe. But I'm not sure if I should. I could just get lied to again. Maybe I'm making the wrong choice. But I don't think I'm going to gain anything other than a quelled heart for the tenth or eleventh time. But I don't think I should, anyway. I don't like him as much as I used to. _

Then Lily saw the part she had written a few minutes ago.

_I like James so much! I decided to give him a second chance, because he sounded so convincing and I think he deserves it because, if anything he says is true, then he didn't do anything wrong and I need to kill the person who Imperiused him instead. Dumbledore said he would look into it, but, honestly? I want to give him or her a piece of my mind first. And now, I guess instead of today, I need to do something by tomorrow to set this whole thing right._

_-Lily _

By reading all of them together, the whole thing sounded a bit strange, by first saying that she would kill him, and then saying that she didn't like him very much, and by ending with how much she liked him. She put the diary back on her dresser and climbed down the staircase. It was around seven, so James should be back from Quidditch practice.

She walked down the staircase and, as she had thought, he was there. But he was sitting at her desk. She raised an eyebrow quizzically and walked over to him.

"James," she said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yaaiee!" he screamed, pushing her hand off and falling, the chair falling with him, on the ground, breathing heavily. He blushed as Lily laughed. She couldn't help it, it was just so funny. It was several minutes before she finally got a hold of herself. James, trying to uphold his dignity, stood up gracefully, brushed his pants and folded his arms.

"Don't tell Padfoot," he warned her, which just made her laugh all over again.

"Fine! But..." she asked between giggles. "What were you doing?"

"Helping you with your Transfiguration homework," he shrugged. Lily looked over his shoulder and saw her homework a quarter completed.

"Merlin! Why did you do that? You shouldn't- that was _my-" _she spluttered, her cheeks heating up. "You shouldn't have done that."

"But I did," he said, his face uncertain of her reply.

"Thank you," she said finally, looking at his attempt to make his handwriting as similar to hers as possible, and smiled, tears in her eyes. "You know what? I think I could trust you, just as long as you don't have any secrets to keep from me anymore. You don't, do you?"

James gulped. "I don't."

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter, I certainly had fun writing it. I'd really like it if you could give me your opinion!**


	17. Pulled Together

**Sorry if this chapter seems a bit big...**

* * *

Lily sighed.

She was in her bedroom, and if the Lily from two months ago happened to see it, she wouldn't recognize it.

One of her pillows had somehow ended up underneath her dresser, her bed sheets were ruffled and were sprawling on the ground at spots, her books and dozens of rolls of parchments lay littered on the floor, and there were dark shadows underneath her eyes.

She uttered a cry of frustration and confusion.

It was Thursday, and she hadn't gone for classes for three whole days. She had _skipped _her classes, and she almost couldn't believe it. She knew that she had had to something by 'tomorrow', in accordance to Monday, but she didn't have to do anything if she didn't even _go, _right?

The sky outside was a deep orange streaked with pale pink and the setting sun was lingering just above the horizon. James and the others would be at Quidditch practice. But then she remembered, they didn't practice there anymore. She suddenly smiled to herself as she marveled at James' wit; she wouldn't have thought of practicing in the Room of Requirement.

Then she sighed again. She had not gone for classes... for what? All she could remember was James telling her that he didn't have any secrets, and then she disappeared up her staircase and wasn't seen to anybody since. It was like she had evaporated. _But even if I did... I would have to come down again. _It was almost as if she was scared. She groaned every time she thought about how she had embarrassed herself... again. She had lost her mind in front of everyone, in the Great Hall that day. And it was when James told her that he didn't have any secrets that she wondered where she would go from there. Where would she go? She had- she shuddered to say it- _Amos, _And James had Mary. But what had he done about it? For she hadn't seen him for three days. She hadn't seen anyone for three days.

She slowly smirked to herself. Her mind was turning more devilish by the second. Just when she had bounded up the staircase after talking to James on Monday, she had waited until he was asleep and then had gone up to his bedroom, quietly opened his trunk, stole his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map, and then had climbed down again, congratulating herself. She would do this every time it was lunch or dinner or breakfast, when she would sneak down to the kitchens, eat a hearty meal, and then replace James' belongings to where she had found them.

And she couldn't say she missed anyone. The only human contact she had was with Evie, whose letter Lily had received on Tuesday, to which she had replied on Wednesday, to which she had gotten Evie's reply that same morning. It said:

* * *

_Dear Lily,_

_I am so sorry about what happened between you and James! I would wish there was something I could do, but I'm not, because there is._

_I have pondered what you said about James claiming he's bee Imperiused. It is certainly possible, but actually, I'm sure that it is the case. I am glad that Dumbledore is taking action, but Lily, please be careful! The person responsible just might have a few more things up his sleeve than just the Imperius Curse. _

_Which brings me to the person responsible. I have done some research (I honestly don't have anything else to do these days), and I think I might have found something useful. It seems that, to perform this curse, you must me in close proximity with the target. You say James was Imperiused, and you were standing beside him? and you were standing between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables? Well, I'm sorry to say it but it must be someone from those two houses, or someone who had gone completely invisible, which I doubt. _

_Could you remember who was sitting or standing near you, Lily? At that precise moment? I know it has most likely slipped your mind but it is of vital importance. _

_And I know how it must feel to have Mary MacDonald intruding now, especially after all that she has done. If it makes you feel any better, I have been listening to James and Sirius plotting pranks for years now, and am quite experienced at it myself. If you like, I could think of something and you could use it to get both Amos Diggory and Mary MacDonald out of the way. I would love to be there if you indeed do something to them, but I can't. I've never used a wand before, and even if I could Auntie Carrie wouldn't let me. She's been a very protective and worrisome person lately, and I don't know why. _

_And I'm glad you decided to trust James. But I want you to know, even though you think you've got no more secrets to hide, you've always got some. Even if it's one, it's always there and it's so deep and dark that releasing it would be a mistake. So don't lose your temper, if that happens, okay?_

_I hope everything works out,_

_Love you,_

_Evie. _

* * *

Evie's words made Lily think for the better part of that morning. And, once James had gone for breakfast, she stole into his room to look at what books he had, and to see whether any of them would be useful to her or not. She had found none.

But what really made her wonder was, what Evie had meant when she said 'Even though you think you've got no more secrets to hide, you've always got some'. Was she talking about Lily, or was she giving her a hint, about James? Whether he had a secret and was choosing not to tell her? The thought made her angry. He said that he had none. Then she caught Evie's last sentence- about not losing her temper. She was warning her. She had realized that. Because, why would Evie tell her not to get angry on a secret that she herself had kept?

But she had spent the better part of the day focusing on the Imperius Curse, researching its effects, its requirements. She actually had to get into the Restricted Section of the library during lunch to fill in the gaps of her findings. James' Invisibility Cloak was proving most useful at times like these.

She had finished her Transfiguration work the day before, and it was resting amid the pile of parchments, probably crumpled under their weight.

For, on the parchment, she had taken down everything she knew about the Imperius Curse. _At least, _she thought grimly. _I'll pass the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. _It was all there, right on her bedroom floor that evening, every thing recorded about the Imperius Curse. Every time it had been used, the symptoms, how to fight it off, everything. And yet, she still couldn't figure out who had done it. Suddenly, she thought of Mary. It was a bit too obvious, and was not improbable. She slapped a hand to her forehead. Mary could have done it! What would it have taken? Just a second, and no one would notice. And Lily knew that she _could _be that desperate. She remembered what James had told her... _There are a lot of desperate people in the world, Lily... in fact, all of us are desperate. _And if there was anything Mary would be desperate for, it would be to make James like her.

It was like a disease. Mary haunted her mind until she thought that no one else could have done it but her.

It _was _her, and she was sure of it.

Suddenly, her stomach gave a loud rumble. She placed a hand over it instinctively, as if trying to suppress the sound. She sighed yet again. She had gone without a single morsel of food for over seven hours. And she couldn't go out now; the halls would be packed with people, and she would have difficulty reaching the kitchens. Suddenly, she thought of something and wasn't proud of it.

_I wonder, _she thought. _Whether James' parents send him food by owl? _the thought made her stomach churn, making the feeling seem even more awful than it already was. She had done enough. 'Borrowing' James' things was despicable, especially since he didn't know it, but _stealing _from him was even worse.

_But you need to eat something! He would give some to you if you had asked, anyway, _she reasoned with herself. _Does it make a difference whether you steal it, or take it with permission? _There was a difference, and she knew it, but she forced herself to listen to the terrible thought and jumped off her bed. She climbed down her staircase and ran up his. There, she threw open his drawers hungrily, thinking about her favorite chocolate cookies or some wonderful apple pie with her mother's special whipped cream, or-_  
_

"Well, well, well," came an amused voice from behind her. Lily whipped around, her eyes going wide with fear. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But my mum always says that whenever she catches me doing something." James shook his hair out of his eyes and walked up to Lily, who was still tensed up. He could tell that she didn't want him to find her, probably because he had caught her taking something without his permission, but grinned anyway. He was still in his Quidditch robes, which were stained with rubbed in dirt, the smell of fresh grass lingering around it. He had apparently just come from practice.

"The Room of Requirement really does have everything, huh?" Lily laughed weakly. She didn't know what to say. Three days without a single word passing between them, and he was here acting as if they had been apart only for a second. _And, _on top of all that, he had caught her inflicting hell upon his drawers without apparent reason. He laughed.

"You could say," he smiled. She gave an uncertain smile back, unsure of what he was smiling for. He laughed again. Her eyebrows crossed in sudden anger. Could he _stop _toying with her?

James noticed her look and cleared his throat. "Look, sorry for barging in on you like this-"

"_Barging in on me?" _Lily asked incredulously. "This is _your _room! I'm the one _barging in on you!"_

"Maybe," he said. "But, if it's food you're looking for, then you could've just asked. There- in the top drawer on the left- Mum sends me stuff. You can help yourself."

Lily was confused as to how he knew that she was in need for food, but shrugged. She open the drawer and very nearly dived at the package, tearing it open with hungry fingers. All the while, James was standing behind her, not saying a word. After she finished eating, he spoke up.

"Look, we need to talk," he sat down on his bed, and gestured her to do the same. Still chewing, Lily awkwardly sat down beside him, a little _too _close, as she realized at the last second. She couldn't scoot away, lest he think she was wanting to avoid him, but couldn't sit that close either! Their shoulders almost brushed each other's. She didn't blush, like she had expected, but just fidgeted with her hands. "I don't know why you've been so secretive for the past three days. I would be mad at you, for leaving me alone with Mary MacDonald, _Merlin _I hate her. When you said what a bitch she was, I thought you were kidding. Anyway, Diggory's been going mad, glad to say I threw a few punches at him."

"You did?" Lily asked, almost relieved.

"Yup, he's in the Hospital Wing right now, nursing two black eyes and a broken jaw."

"I didn't know anyone could do that to Diggory," Lily said, impressed. "What happened?"

"Oh, he was just being a douche, as usual, and I couldn't take it anymore so I pounded him. You should have heard him- screaming for his darling Lily to come and rescue him from his pain. I got away before anyone could give me detention, because I _am _the Head Boy and punching people isn't setting a good example, like McGonagall says,"

"Nice," she rubbed his shoulder.

"So... since I punched Diggory, would you mind if I ask you to punch Mary for me?" Lily laughed at his pleading voice.

"I will if I get the chance." she smiled.

"Thanks," he smiled back. They sat in silence for a few seconds. After a brief moment of heat rising to Lily's cheeks, she withdrew her hand from James' shoulder and stared at her lap. "If you're not coming tomorrow I guess I could take your assignment to McGonagall for you," James offered. For some reason, it brought tears to Lily's eyes.

"No thanks, I've decided to go tomorrow," she shrugged.

"Really? What made you decide?"

"I guess... talking to you," she said quietly, and was glad that the sun had finally gone down so James couldn't see her blush in the darkness of his room.

"You know," he whispered in her ear. Her whole body shivered as she felt his hot breath tickle her ear, and prayed that he didn't notice. "I missed you," she heard the creak of the bed, a fleeting figure coming across her vision, and then he was gone.

* * *

James groaned as he stirred from his dream. It never ceased to scare him, but he was over being surprised. He was strong. He would fight that stupid dream he got every night. The one where his aunt and uncle were dead. The one where Evie was dead. The one where Lily was torturing him.

He often wondered for what purpose the dreams were haunting him. It was unheard of, and he knew that he should probably tell Dumbledore about it. But he would fight the dreams first. He wasn't going to give in to them. He had been terrified, at first, but then his terror turned to strength. He was strong. He wasn't a weakling to go running to Dumbledore.

He got up slowly, and stared at the scar on his bare chest. The one he had gotten that night in the forest. The one which reminded him that Lily had actually gotten herself all the way to St. Mungo's to see him. To ask him whether they could be friends.

That Lily wouldn't have tortured him.

_Do I have a problem? _he asked himself, panicking. He placed a hand to his forehead, as if trying to reach through it and tear his brains out. Again. Like that night, but not that ferociously. This time, it was gently. Like he was trying to examine his thoughts for a hint of mental instability.

He almost fell off his bed when he heard someone coming up the staircase. He scrambled for his shirt and hastily slipped it on, along with his pants. He was just in time, as Lily appeared in the doorway, blushing.

"Was I...? Were you just...?" she spluttered, and he blushed too.

"No! Sorry, last night I just..." he trailed off. "Sorry. I didn't expect you to come up to my room."

"Yeah..." she instinctively turned her face away towards the staircase, as if trying to inspect something on the stairs, but just felt stupid inside. Only a total coward would run away from a... _boy. _

"What did you come up here for, anyway?" he asked.

"Oh!" she turned to face him again, glad for the question. "I just came by to give you this," she walked over and handed him a roll of parchment, which he unrolled and studied for a moment.

"It's-It's my Transfiguration homework!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Why?" was the only thing he could say.

"I did it for you," she smiled. "I guess you were so uptight about helping me with mine that you forgot about yours."

"But I didn't," he said. "I finished it! Yesterday!"

Lily leaned down close to his ear, like he had done last night. She could hardly feel her heart race, as she whispered, "Consider it done for extra credit," and then she winked and was gone. James almost smiled, but couldn't. In fact, he just skipped the smiling and when right to the whooping.

He whooped as hard as he could, hoping Lily didn't hear. And he didn't even know why he was whooping. Maybe it was because of the extra two feet that Lily had written for him. Maybe it was because he had finally figured out how to ignore the dreams. To overpower them.

Then the whooping stopped and laughter overtook him. Loud, maniacal laughter than coursed through his veins like electricity.

* * *

Peter was stumped. He sat at a desk in the Gryffindor common room, even before the sun had risen. Each and every night he would stay up and wonder what to do about Lily and James, which is why his eyes now looked dark and empty.

For empty he was.

He could think of nothing. Nothing! He had done enough, but not enough to fix his problem completely. There was still Mary and Amos to get out of the way, which he hoped that it proved difficult. But even that won't last forever, and something had to be done. Something diabolical.

And if he had to do something, he had to do it now. Now was when Lily would be most unstable. She had _just _forgiven James, and is something else were to happen at that precise moment... it would all be over.

He got an idea, suddenly.

* * *

"James!"

James turned around and found Lily running towards him. He grinned. "What's up?" he asked.

"Look, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you-" she gasped in exhaustion. It appeared that she had ran all the way from the Heads' dorm, and they were currently on the fourth floor, early enough to be free of the morning rush.

"Hey, calm down," he patted her back as she wheezed unrestrictedly. "What is it?"

"I think... Mary performed... the Imperius Curse," she admitted, panting.

"Really?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow. "Well, we certainly won't rule that out."

"Well, who else would have done it?" demanded Lily.

"I'm not sure, but we can't stick to something unless we're absolutely sure that it's the person behind it."

"But you don't understand!" Lily said, her voice weighing down with incredulity.

"No, I think I do," he assured her. "And I told you it's a possibility! But we can't do anything to her without proof! Do you have proof?"

Lily hesitated for a second before she said, "No."

"So that's it, then," he clapped his hands together and they walked across the corridor without a word. After about ten minutes, they stopped right before the door of the Great Hall. James sighed.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"It's just..." he shook his head. "Have you ever realized that, whatever bad things happen to us, they always happen in the Great Hall?"

"Surprisingly, no," Lily rubbed her chin. He was right. She looked up to see him rocking back and forth on his toes nervously. She almost smiled. "You don't want to go in, do you?"

"Not really," he gave a small, embarrassed laugh.

"Come on," she put a hand on his shoulder. "Did I tell you I did the exact same thing three days ago, for three days?"

"No, but I realized."

"My point is, you just have to go in, okay?" she smiled. "If you don't, then people will think you're just running away. I'm already in that club... trust me, you don't want to be too."

_Trust me. _The words rang in James' head, but he didn't give them much thought. "I don't think I can bear to look at their faces again." he said through gritted teeth. Lily nodded.

"At least you're not bearing that alone," she gave him a final pat before she dragged him into the Great Hall. It was almost empty, but Diggory and Mary were there. waiting eagerly. They both shouted the same time Lily and James groaned.

"JAMES!"

"LILY!"

Then they ran up to them.

"Look- there's Remus," Lily pointed in impatience. "Let's just get over there and use him as a distraction or something." James didn't say anything, but acted immediately. They managed to reach the Gryffindor table before Amos and Mary caught up to them.

"Lily, you're back!" Remus exclaimed. Lily ignored him.

"Darn, here they come," she buried her face in her palms. So did James.

"Lily, I missed you!" Amos said, hugging her from behind. She tried not to cringe. She slowly lifted her hands and kept them on her lap. She was dying to know- how did Diggory's face look? Since James had punched him? She turned around, and realized a bit too late that it was the wrong thing to do.

At first, she saw Amos' face looking as good as new. No doubt Madam Pomfrey patched it up. Then his eyes lit up when she turned around and he kissed her.

It was the first time she had kissed him since the dance, and the feeling was not good. It felt wrong. she glanced over at James and saw that Mary was doing the same thing, and James was reacting likewise. she put her hands on Amos' shoulders and yanked herself away from him. Beside her, James almost did the same thing, except he pushed her away rather than pull himself away. Mary stumbled backwards, her expression hurt, then she ran away crying. James looked slightly guilty.

Amos showed no change in his facial expression, but instead just shrugged and walked away.

"Yuck!" Lily groaned, wiping her mouth on her sleeve as if trying to rid herself of the essence of Amos.

"Yuck is right," James agreed. "I never let her do that since Monday," he assured her. That's when Lily's temper rose.

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Her." he said menacingly, but Remus caught her before she got up.

"Don't be stupid," he rolled his eyes. She just looked at him. "What? Don't you think you should plan this out before you go do something reckless?"

"But _she _was the one who Imperiused James!" Lily protested.

"Really?" Remus asked, interested. "It's certainly possible."

"Can you stop saying that?" Lily yelled, frustrated. "Why does it always have to be 'certainly possible'? Why won't anyone just believe me when I say it's true? Why-"

"Because you've got no proof," James said.

"Oh! So now you guys are going against me?" Lily laughed, but it was an empty laugh. She didn't even know why she was yelling at them.

"Come on, Lily. Just-"

But Lily had already stormed out of the Great Hall. She couldn't see Hestia, Sirius or Peter anywhere.

"Lily!" James called as he ran up to her.

"What?" she said irritably.

"We have Care of Magical Creatures," he said. Her expression went blank. She didn't expect that.

"Oh- right," she said. "Let's go," they walked out of the castle, pulling their cloaks closer to them as the sharp November wind stung their faces.

"It's getting colder," James stated, failing to conceal the loud chatter as his teeth vibrated.

"Yes," Lily agreed, as they walked towards the forest. where their class was usually held. She saw Hagrid near his cabin, and waved. He waved back.

"Lily!" he boomed. "Are ya up fer a cup o' tea?" he asked, and she nodded as she looked and saw no one there for the class yet. They were early.

"Sure, Hagrid!" she called. "Can he come too?" she tapped James' shoulder. Hagrid appeared not to have noticed James, but when he did, he rolled his eyes.

"Fine," Hagrid said. "Bu' he better not stir up 'ny trouble!"

"He won't," Lily assured him, and Hagrid let them walk into his cozy cabin. James had never been there before, but Lily appeared to have, she slumped down on a chair and James followed suit. Hagrid shut the door and turned around.

"James Potter," he snorted.

"That's me,"

"Heard a lot about yeh up at the castle," Hagrid grabbed three mugs and started to prepare some tea. "Was told yeh tried ter blow up the good ol' Astronomy Tower once."

James chuckled. "People can say anything," he shook his head. "I assure you I've never tried to do that."

"An' that Sirius Black," Hagrid handed each of them a mug. "Do me a favor, Potter, an' give 'im a piece o' my mind fer tamperin' wit my Halloween pumpkins last year. He carved 'em all inta what yeh call 'swimsuit models', had ter grow all of 'em again, in less than two weeks, fer cryin' out loud!"

"He did?" James and Lily laughed. "Gosh, he never told me," Hagrid snorted again.

"So tell me, Potter," he asked curiously. "What brings yeh out here with Lily? She was always complainin' about yeh fer about six years, an' now yeh're here all happy,"

"Well, I guess we're friends," Lily shrugged. Hagrid almost made a gagging sound.

"Yeh don' say!" he exclaimed. "I'd say yeh're out o' yer mind, Lily, bu'-"

"I'm not," she smiled, placing her mug on the table. "Anyway, thanks for the tea, Hagrid, we'd better get going for class."

"Ah, yeh're right," Hagrid sighed. "Nice talkin' to yeh, Lily. And James,"

"Nice meeting you, Hagrid," James said as the walked out of the cabin.

"An' yeh know, Potter?" Hagrid called as Lily and James crossed over to the forest, where more than half the class was waiting. "Yeh're not a bad sort,"

* * *

"James!" called Peter. James turned around; he was alone on the grounds, during lunch.

"Hi, Wormtail," he said, turning back to the pebble he had been turning over in his palm, for no apparent reason. It was just past noon, and the sky was still dark. It had been dark all morning as well.

"Mind if I talk to you?" Peter sat down next to him, underneath their favorite beech tree. James didn't want to talk, he had been thinking about his nightmares, but gave in.

"No,"

"So..." Peter trailed off nervously. "How's it going between you and Lily? I'm really sorry about what happened Monday, and I just wanted to know."

James hesitated. It was none of Peter's business. "Fine," he said shortly. "Why do you ask?"

"No, it's just..." Peter said. He had practiced this all morning, it shouldn't be too hard. "I know Lily has a problem trusting you... she told me!" he lied, when James looked a bit surprised. "Anyway, I'm really sorry but I just wanted to help you!"

"How?" James threw the pebble towards the lake, and it skipped on the water three times before sinking.

"I've noticed... you see, I know she says she can trust you. And you don't have any secrets to keep,"

James fidgeted. "I haven't really told her we're Animagi." he confessed.

"Well, that's to be expected, right?" Peter laughed a bit. "I mean, you can't just go around telling people we've broken the law. It'd be a stupid thing to do. Anyway, my point is, do you know whether she's not keeping any secrets from you?"

"Come on, Wormtail, you can't ask me this stuff!" James said angrily, chucking another pebble at the lake.

"Look, Prongs, I just don't want you and Lily to have a fight again!" Peter said in what he hoped was a convincing tone. "And I think you have a right to know whether you can trust her or not! I mean, she can't order you around all the time. You need to know about her, too. You're her friend. You deserve to know." Peter was glad he had practiced his speech for more than four hours.

James threw another rock with all of his might. It sank into the lake with a faint 'plop' which he could barely hear. He knew Wormtail was right. _How can _Wormtail _be right? _he wondered, knowing that that was what Sirius would have said.

"Fine, I'll go talk to her," he got up, and made to walk over to the castle. as soon as he disappeared beyond the steps, Peter allowed himself an evil smile. Maybe this could work.

* * *

"Lily," James said quietly. He caught her writing something, in the Head's dorm.

"Yeah? What is it?" she asked, without lifting her head up from the paper.

"I tried so hard to make you believe that you could trust me," he began, wanting to get the conversation over with. She finally turned around and looked at him.

"And?"

"I spent so much energy and yet I still don't know whether I can trust _you," _ he said, and he saw Lily's face flush bright red. But he didn't know what feeling made her blush yet.

Lily was flushing in anger. How could he ask that? After all that they had gone through together he had the nerve to ask her whether she could be trusted? Well, she only doubted _him _because of the vast number of times he had lied to her. And she hadn't lied to him, even once!

How _could _he ask that?

"Get out," she said, almost in a whisper but he could still hear.

"But-"

"Just get out!" she raised her voice, and she didn't have to say it thrice. He immediately turned on his heel and slammed the door to the dorm behind him. Her cheeks were still red but not as much as they had been before. She sighed. Why did he always have to make her angry?

* * *

"I am going to kill Wormtail," James muttered to himself as he walked across the courtyard. But Peter was nowhere to be seen. Where they had been sitting, about a half hour previously, Sirius and Remus now stood talking.

"Prongs, me mate!" Sirius exclaimed.

"What's with you?" James asked.

"Trying to talk like Hagrid," Sirius confessed, and James burst out laughing.

"And I heard you say you're going to kill Wormtail or something," Remus raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Oh, that," James stopped laughing and became very serious. "I listened to him and ended up doing something stupid,"

"That's why you don't listen to Wormtail," Sirius advised.

"What did you do?" Remus groaned.

"Let's just say Lily yelled at me again," James said. Sirius and Remus exchanged looks.

"Go apologize," they said in unison.

"How about I just stay away from her until I have to?" James let himself fall on to the grass, which was slightly wet from the rain. the others sat down beside him.

"Whatever you say, genius," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"But it's a bad idea." Remus informed him.

"I know," James said. "But now everything I do is always a bad idea, don't you think?"

* * *

It was dinnertime, and Lily was surprised. She had gotten no snide comments thrown at her throughout the entire day, which surprised her to no end. Maybe, the students had forgotten about what she did in Hogsmeade because of what James did on Monday. In a way, she was glad for that.

He angered her before, when he asked about his trust in her, but she was ready to forgive him. They all make mistakes, and Evie told her not to raise her temper. So, with great difficulty, she dropped the subject from her mind. At least, she tried to.

The day had not been eventful. No taunts from the Slytherins, no chases from Amos and Mary, not too much homework. And yet, she wondered whether she should listen to Evie, to Remus, to herself- whether she should take action _now. _She would have to get rid of Mary and Amos sometime or other, but should it be now or not? And if it was now, how would she do it? In the worst way possible, or leniently?

Her stomach dropped. She thought back to her diary entry, of what the worst way possible was. And she didn't feel as good as she had then. What if something went wrong, like last time?

_I have to take a risk. _she thought firmly. Her hands were shaking but she didn't know it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was pitch black outside, the moon being covered by layers of clouds, and she related her situation to the weather. How would it end, if she did it? Dark. Depressing. Just like last time.

She walked down to dinner, with no one. She was alone. She _wanted _to be alone. She needed to think about what she was going to do.

* * *

Lily strolled down an empty corridor. She was late for dinner at the Great Hall, almost purposely. She remembered telling James not to be afraid to face people, when she was facing the same problem herself, and groaned.

Suddenly she heard someone sobbing. It was a faint noise, but like a knife in her ears. It was terrible, like how someone would grieve for the loss of someone extremely dear to them. Lily's stomach dropped. They were in the corridor, somewhere. She couldn't bear it; she had to find them, and comfort them. Her heart couldn't take it.

She threw open all the doors, the ones which weren't hidden, along the corridor and searched them thoroughly. Slowly, the sound became louder and louder until her eardrums began to vibrate. Then she realized that the grief-ridden tone was issuing from the Charms classroom. She creaked open the door and poked her head through. The room was dark, and she couldn't see. But then the cries abated as the person realized that another was there.

"Lily?" she heard a weak voice call her name. Lily recognized it.

"Alice?" she asked incredulously. "Merlin- _Lumos," _she whispered, and the room was filled with a faint light. She saw Alice crouching over a desk, a crumpled paper in her hand and her eyes overflowing with tears. "God, what happened to you?" she walked over, and put a hand on Alice' shoulder.

"Read," she choked, stuffing the paper into Lily's hands. Lily smoothed it out, and noticed that it was a clipping from the _Daily Prophet._ It read:

_Yesterday, on the 25th of November, a regretful incident occurred inside the Auror Headquarters at the Ministry of Magic. The Head of the Auror Office, the infamous Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, appeared to have gone on a mission to the house of Yaxley, who is known to be a Death Eater. On his return, witnesses have confirmed that something was wrong with him, but did not feel the need to report it because Moody often 'loses his head', according to Dayton Williamson, of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Without the knowledge of the authorities, Moody dispatched a team of several trained Aurors to ambush Yaxley's mansion. Among them were Joshua Boulstridge, Riley Lerwick, and Martha Prewett, of the Auror Office. _

Lily looked up at Alice's bloodshot eyes for a split second, before she continued reading.

_The ambush appeared to have gone badly, and we now regret the loss of the extraordinary Auror Martha Prewett-_

Lily didn't need to read any more. Several lines of the article were left unread, but she let the clipping flutter to the ground as her vision went blurry with tears. She blinked, and a teardrop splattered on the floor, near her feet.

"Oh, Alice! I'm so sorry!" she gasped as she tried not to cry. "I'm sorry-"

That's when she lost it. She let out a sob, which caught her by surprise and she started to weep heavily, Alice right with her. Together they wailed for the loss of Alice's mother, who had been so kind to Lily over the years, who had helped her even when Lily was ignorant of her. The bawled whilst hanging on to each other's shoulders, hugging them tightly to provide comfort, support. Lily didn't even notice that Alice wasn't her friend anymore, to her, she was just a person who needed help. She needed _her _to help. Lily struggled to keep her voice steady, and wiped her wet cheeks with her sleeve. She shouldn't cry. She should comfort Alice.

"Alice, come on. Let's get you to the Hospital Wing," she said, pulled Alice's arm over her shoulders.

"N-No,"

"Yes! You need to calm down."

Alice didn't say anything else but just let Lily drag her to the Hospital Wing instead. Once Madam Pomfrey had released her of the burden, she turned around to go away, but Alice called her back.

"Lily!" she said, almost too softly but she could still hear. She turned around, and Alice gave her the biggest smile she could manage. In this case, only a slight curve of the lips. "Thank you," she said, and Lily nodded.

She tried to divert her thoughts from Martha Prewett, and remotely succeeded. But her ignorance was short-lived. For no sooner did she cross the first-floor corridor than Hestia slammed into her, not even saying sorry as she darted past, straight up the stairs. Lily touched her cheek, where she felt something cold and wet. Tears. Hestia was crying, when Lily had never seen her cry before. That's when Sirius came up the stairs, running after her and calling her name. Even he didn't acknowledge Lily's existence as he ran up the staircase. It was the first time Lily had actually seen him so serious, so intent.

_Please, _she thought miserably. _No more bad news!_

Lily crossed the Entrance Hall in a sad state. _Maybe Evie was right before, _she thought. _Anything can happen. Look at Alice's mother! She died, and Alice didn't even get to say goodbye. What if _he _died, and I didn't get to do what I wanted to? What if it was too late for me? For us? I would probably hate myself for the rest of my life. She's right. Anything can happen. _

She entered the Great Hall with mournful spirits, her heart racing as she saw Mary tormenting James and Amos sitting, arms and legs crossed, waiting for her. The hall was in great noise, and no one seemed to have noticed Hestia and Sirius run outside, except for maybe Remus, who was looking worried.

Again, she saw Mary tormenting James.

Her heart rate sky-rocketed, and she felt more confident than ever before. Now was the time. The time to end this. She flicked a finger across the underside of her right eye, and felt her eyebrows narrow in determination. Her hands balled into fists, and she was shaking.

But, nevertheless determined.

She didn't even think of the consequences. The death of Martha seemed to have opened her eyes. Seemed to have opened her mind, and she knew what to do. Evie was right when she had said now or never. She had been running away this whole time, but no more.

It was _over. _

She marched straight up to Mary, whose hands were on James' respective thighs and who was smiling and talking about something. She didn't even notice when Lily came and stood right next to her. Frustrated, Lily snapped her fingers, and Mary looked up. Lily didn't wait for her reaction as she grabbed her shoulders, and shoved her away. The hall grew quiet and everyone's eyes were on her and Mary. Even Amos didn't budge. Mary's eyes grew wide, but then narrowed in hatred.

No one uttered a single sound. Mary just stared, and Lily had no intention of speaking either. She didn't say anything.

She just slapped.

Her palm collided with Mary's left cheek, and everyone gasped. Her hand went red and throbbed painfully but she didn't mind. Mary rubbed her cheek with her hands and was about to say something, but Lily didn't let her. Without waiting for Mary, she reacted instinctively and, by grabbing James' face in both of her hands, she kissed him full on the mouth.

Most people just cat-called and jeered, but others just stayed silent or snickered. But Lily didn't seem to hear anything. But she couldn't _feel _anything either. It wasn't at all the happy feeling she had expected. She just felt... empty. James didn't kiss her back, but didn't pull away either.

That's when she lost her confidence.

She released him, and found herself looking into his hazel eyes, which didn't speak of anything. They looked empty and blank, just like her. She went red in the face and, just when she couldn't hold in her embarrassment, she sprinted as fast as she could out of the hall and stood panting, somewhere in the second floor corridor.

_Why, wouldn't Evie be proud of me? _she thought scornfully. _Well, look at me, Evie! I just ran away, losing my wits completely. _

Then she sank against a wall, beside the staircase, and closed her eyes. She shouldn't have run. She wasn't brave anymore. She wasn't courageous anymore.

She didn't deserve to be a Gryffindor anymore.

* * *

James blinked. Did Lily just... kiss him? He stood up so fast a goblet of pumpkin juice went skidding across the table. Everyone was looking at him now, since Lily had ran out of the hall.

He seemed to have been so shocked that he couldn't respond. Yes, that's what happened. He looked and saw Mary standing, her face full of anger, and Amos sitting, his face full of anger as well.

"What are you _doing?" _Remus spoke through the silence. "Stop gaping, and go after her!"

James obliged.

He couldn't see her in the Entrance Hall, so he ran up to the first floor. She wasn't there either. Then, he caught sight of her near the stairs on the second floor. She was standing there, looking embarrassed, and she didn't notice him.

"Lily!" he called, and she looked over, her cheeks becoming even more redder than before. He climbed up the remaining steps and walked over to her, knowing that she didn't have a way to back out.

"Sorry," she said uncertainly, and he couldn't help it but laugh.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked, inching up to her. "You just got rid of Diggory and Mary for good. And, I guess slapping Mary would have to do instead of punching... Anyway, you shouldn't say sorry, we should be celebrating!"

"Celebrating?"

"Yeah, and I never got to respond for what you did in the Great Hall."

"What do you-"

He didn't wait, but just pulled her lips on his instead. For a second, she didn't do anything, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

They stood there for a while and, when Lily need to take a breath, she pulled away. The both of them just stood there smiling stupidly, not knowing what to say and blushing profusely.

"So..." James said finally. "Do you still want me to get rid of that picture I have of you?" Lily grinned.

"No," she said. "You can keep it."

Then, laughing, they walked up the stairs without a care in the world, now that all of their problems vanished in one, brief moment. Suddenly, everything looked more beautiful, looked as if it had more meaning. The walls, the doors, even the portraits and tapestries. Everything seemed fuller, and all the sadness that it had before disappeared to be replaced with hope. November the twenty-sixth... the day all of their pains faded. _Most _of their pains faded, to be precise. Right now, James' dreams didn't seem to matter much to him. Nothing mattered to either of them.

But something mattered to Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting in the Great Hall with pure anger showing in his face.

* * *

**I know Peter is an idiot... you don't need to remind me. But anyway, hope you liked the chapter! **


	18. Phillipa

"No doubt the Potter boy's dreams are taking effect, but I trust you to tell me the truth, Pettigrew," Voldemort said softly, the faint hiss in his voice annoying Peter to no end, but he kept his mouth shut. They were in the Forbidden Forest, nearly a week after James and Lily had got together, and this was his first one-on-one talk with Voldemort in a month, probably. He gulped. Bellatrix and the others were informed to keep away, much to her displeasure, and he was more intimidated than ever.

"Apologies, My Lord," he bowed, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Tell me now!" Voldemort almost yelled, and Peter almost jumped out of his skin in fright. He was shaking badly now, so much for trying to stop it. He couldn't think of what to tell him. Lily and James were so happy now, much more than he had seen them in the past months, especially now since Mary and Amos were out of the way. Should he tell the truth, and risk their lives, or should he not, risking his _own _life?

"I-I have d-done everything I could," he began. "But it still may require-"

"I told you, it must be done now," Voldemort said in a deadly voice, so soft that Peter could barely hear it. But he shivered nonetheless.

"The Mudblood is not out of reach, My Lord!" he said. "I have sped up the process, but it might require a bit more time,"

"You have needed a bit more time since the beginning of this academic year, Pettigrew," he replied. "I hope that a bit more time signifies the end of this month?"

Peter knew that it was not a request, but an order.

"Undoubtedly, My Lord," he bowed.

* * *

It was the first of December, and Lily awoke with high spirits. She was in high spirits for a week. And she couldn't believe this was actually happening. After three whole months, she had _finally _managed to get what she wanted.

And she knew more about James than she would have known three months ago.

She jumped off the bed and changed into her Hogwarts robes, looking at herself in the mirror, positioning herself at different angles to see how she looked. After about two minutes she tugged the band that tied her hair into a ponytail, and kept it down. then she combed her hair thoroughly, and then fluffed it up a bit, knowing that that was exactly how James liked it.

Then she frowned. Looking at her reflection too much reminded her of Hestia. She bit her lip down hard, and tried not to think about the incident too much.

_"Hest!" Lily called, and Hestia turned around in the armchair, tears streaking her cheeks. Her knees were pressed up against her chest and her arms hugged them tightly. The Gryffindor common room was dimly lit in the dead of night, and was empty except for them. Lily had been looking for Hestia all of Saturday, and was worried that what had happened to her the day before was affecting her terribly. She couldn't bear to see her best friend hurting. _

_"I can't bear to see you hurting," she said, her expression softening. Somehow it brought more tears to Hestia's eyes. Lily sat down on the arm of the armchair, and hugged Hestia's head to her own. Hestia let out a sob._

_"Are you going to tell me?" Lily asked. _

_"I don't think I can," she replied weakly. _

_"Come on, you aren't like this!" Lily said, a frown appearing on her face. "You don't cry! Now straighten up, and tell me what happened,"_

_Hestia almost smiled at the compliment and lifted her head up. "You-You know that day, in Diagon Alley, when we were buying our books for this year?"_

_"Of course," Lily replied, unsure of where this was going. _

_"And r-remember how m-me and Alice went to get stuff from our vaults? At Gringotts?"_

_"Um... yes?" _

_"And when you asked me what I got, I didn't say?"_

_"Yes,"_

_"Well, its was this," she handed Lily a roll of parchment and clicked a locket from her neck, pressing it into her hand. Lily started to unroll the parchment but Hestia stopped her. _

_"I don't want you to read it," she said. Lily nodded and placed the paper on the table in front of them. "You know my parents, right? They're Aurors?"_

_"Yeah," Lily said. Of course she knew Hestia's parents! She was so familiar with them. _

_"Well, a few months ago Mum had to go on a deadly m-mission," Hestia choked. "And before she went, she gave m-me a package and told me not to open it un-unless-"_

_Lily understood. Unless she didn't come back alive. _

_"And?" she asked._

_"Well, she did come back," Hestia said. "And I was really happy. And so was she. And she assured me that she wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon, and that I should give her the package and she would keep it locked in Gringotts."_

_Lily saw light. Her parents were dead. Hestia and Max were alone in the world. _

_"Hest, I'm so sorry!" she patted her back and hugged her again as Hestia cried. "What are you going to-" _

_"Max is staying with my grandfather for some time..." she said sadly. "Aw, Lily, I wish I could help him! He's so miserable, and I'm the elder sister, I should be-"_

_"You can't do anything," Lily said. "He'll be okay. Just... write him letters. He'll feel better," she remembered about when her father died, she expected pity letters from the rest of her family when she was at school, but no such luck. Sure, her mother wrote to her, but Petunia stayed stubborn._

_"Thanks, Lily," Hestia half-smiled. _

Lily shook her head. Hestia was greatly recovered by now, though not completely. Lily doubted that she would ever be the same again.

She skipped downstairs, where she noticed James waiting for her, beaming.

"_Someone's _in a good mood," she voiced her thoughts. He smiled.

But he wasn't in a good mood. And he knew better than to show it. Just as long as he didn't give any visible movements signifying that he, in fact, _wasn't _okay, nothing would happen.

He got scared, last night. His dreams haunted him once again, but not like before. Now, every detail was crystal clear to him, as sharp as a shark's tooth. More clearer than before. _That _was what frightened him. _Should I go to Dumbledore? _he wondered.

"Someone else is too," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Hmm," she grinned, slipping books into her bag. "Gosh, look at the time! We're late for breakfast! Again," she added with a groan.

"So?" he asked, so uncaringly that Lily actually raised her eyebrows.

"So I'm hungry!"

"C'mon, you can wait a bit..."

"Do you have to do this _every _morning?" she asked, slightly irritably. He pouted.

"I'm trying to make up for the six years I haven't been able to be with you!"

She rolled her eyes and kissed him lightly. "Make up later."

They walked down to the Great Hall together, laughing. Or at least, James was pretending to laugh. Inside, he was wondering, _Should I tell Dumbledore? _

They walked into the hall and sat down beside Sirius. The teasing had stopped a while ago, and now no one paid attention to Lily and James except maybe Mary and Amos. But Lily had eyes only for Hestia, who was sitting opposite Sirius with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Lily!" Alice hugged her from behind. Alice was in a similar state, but not as grieved. She wasn't an orphan yet, after all.

"Hey, Alice," Lily hugged her back. She had patched everything up with her since Martha's death, and they had become almost as good friends as they had been before. Alice sat down opposite James and Lily faced Sirius, who was currently stuffing himself. She waited until he had finished swallowing a bite, then said, "Sirius!"_  
_

"What?" he asked.

"_Do _something!" she gestured towards Hestia, who was refusing to eat anything.

"But- But I don't know how!" he said nervously. Lily almost pitied him.

"But you're her Jerk! Now go!" she said, and Sirius sighed.

That's when Dumbledore cleared his throat. Everyone quieted down and looked at him expectantly.

"I have some wonderful news," Dumbledore grinned. "It seems that a foreign exchange student from Beauxbatons Academy Of Magic is going to be graduating at Hogwarts."

Whispers broke out. Everyone thought the same thing- which person, from _Beauxbatons, _would come to Hogwarts to study? It was insane. Beauxbatons students were highly proud of themselves, and always thought that their school was the best.

"How will she get sorted?"

"Will she be houseless?"

"Merlin, a Beauxbatons chick! My luck's hit at last!"

"Hope she's not in Hufflepuff... I'll have to share a dorm with her! Blecch!"

"A Beauxbatons girl? In Hufflepuff? You've got to be joking. She'll come in Gryffindor no problem."

Dumbledore cleared his throat again and silence dropped. "I have promised Madame Maxime that we will be as hospitable as ever, so I trust that you all," he waved his hands around. "will do your best to make the student comfortable. She will be arriving in a week, and not at the start of the second term, so that she may be familiar with the surroundings which are so different from her own school's,"

He sat down.

* * *

"Um... you okay?" Sirius finally asked Hestia. The both of them were lying on Sirius' bed in his dorm, and Hestia cuddled herself against him as he stroked her arm. It was the lunch break and Sirius knew Hestia was hurting, so he took Lily's advice and tried to comfort her as best he could.

"No, but thanks for asking," she said quietly. After a long pause, she added, "Do you have any cranberry juice?"

"What?" Sirius almost laughed.

"It's just... I like drinking cranberry juice when I'm upset. It makes me feel better,"

"Come on," he at up straight and nudged her shoulder to get her moving. Hestia groaned- why did he have to move? Now her back, which was, up till now, nestled against his chest, felt cold without his heat to keep her warm. She got up regretfully and allowed him to steer her out of the dorm.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they emerged into the seventh floor corridor.

"Not telling." he grinned. "Now close your eyes and don't open them till I say so," Hestia reluctantly obeyed, and almost laughed as Sirius took her by the shoulders and forced her forward.

"Sirius Orion Black, you tell me where we're going _right now!" _

"Since when do you know my middle name?" he frowned.

"Not telling," she grinned, and he huffed.

He walked back and forth three times along the wall of the corridor, concentrating on what he wanted. The door of the Room of Requirement appeared and then, grinning, he pushed it open.

"Okay, now you can open your eyes," he whispered in her ear. She opened them and gasped.

Dozens of tables stood before her, all lined with tall glasses of cranberry juice, and a gigantic photo of Hestia's parents lay plastered to the wall, nearly about eight feet tall, and a futon lay in front of it, so one can curl up and stare at the picture for as long as they wanted. She took a step forward and heard a rustling sound. Looking down at her feet, she saw thousands upon thousands of pictures, and all of them had at least one of Hestia's parents in it. She bent down and picked one up, and stared at it until she could bear it no more. It was a picture of her and her mother, standing at a beach, shrieking with laughter as a wave caught them unawares from behind. Tears slowly filled her eyes; she could remember that day as clear as if it were yesterday. She looked up at Sirius, who was beaming down at her, and she let the picture flutter to the floor. Then she jumped to her feet and gave him one deep kiss filled with gratitude. After about a minute, she pulled herself away and smiled up at him.

"Wow," he whispered.

"You didn't have to do that for me," she let a tear roll down her cheek.

"Didn't have to?" he gave a hollow laugh. "Really? Come on, when my girlfriend needs cranberry juice, she gets cranberry juice."

Hestia laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "Love you," she said quietly.

"What?" he stepped back so she would have to face him. "What did you just say?"

She blushed and tried to cover her outburst. "Why, don't you love me too?" she asked, her heart racing.

"Course I do," he said, hesitating for a second before kissing her again. She smiled against his lips and they stood there for a while, her arms wrapped around his neck and his hands on her hips.

"Okay, come here," she pushed him away lightly, and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards one of the fancy purple tables. She smiled automatically. Her favorite color was purple. She grabbed two of the glasses and shoved one in his hand. He adopted a disgusted look.

"Why, don't you like cranberries?" she raised her eyebrows, sipping her juice and taking in the sour taste gratefully.

"No, not really," he admitted, rotating the glass between his fingers as if to change its contents.

"Well, better get used to it now, lover boy," she winked.

* * *

Peter sighed. What would he do now? Voldemort as good as told him that if Lily and James weren't together by the end of the month, he would be dead. He put his head in his hands and gazed out at the Black Lake. It was so... black, now. The sky was dark, and rain drenched his head. But right now, all he had in his mind was Lily and James. Should he try to save them, or give in to Voldemort? He knew the easier option was to give in to Voldemort, but what was the right thing?

He shook his head and got up slowly. There was no resisting Voldemort. Lily and James were nothing to him now. He had embraced the Dark Lord's power; he was evil, now.

Friends didn't have a place in his heart.

* * *

Mary and Amos were on rounds together.

"If I ask you to help me kill Lily would you?" Mary asked angrily.

"Come on, Mary, she was just a game," Amos laughed.

"That's what you call this? A _game?" _she asked incredulously.

"Yeah," he shrugged. Mary snorted.

"So you didn't like her?" she asked.

"Not really," he confessed.

"So you're okay with the fact that she's with James?"

Amos hesitated. "Well, he's a jerk, and she's an idiot for liking him instead of me, but-" he took a deep breath. "Who cares?"

"God, Diggory!" she exclaimed. "You're an idiot,"

"I've heard you like idiots," he smirked, but she didn't blush this time. She was _done _with his flirting. Now that she looked at it, Lily was right. He was a total asshole.

"You're a total asshole," she voiced her thoughts, and he looked taken aback for a second.

"If I am, then Potter is too," he shrugged again.

"Look, if you don't want to help me, then fine: I'll do it myself," she huffed. "It doesn't take an army to break up a couple, you know,"

Peter peeked out from behind a curtain. Thankfully, it was dark enough that they couldn't see him, but he tried not to move anyway. Fear showed in his eyes. Mary was very persuasive and cunning. And he couldn't have her ruining the Dark Lord's plans.

* * *

Peter pulled a black mask on. One of the ones that the Marauders used when they bombarded the Great Hall with pumpkins on Halloween. Then he looked in the mirror. He was totally unrecognizable. He grabbed his wand and Sirius' broomstick and sneaked out of the Boys' Tower. Slowly, he climbed down the staircase, careful not to make a sound. It was three in the morning, and everyone was asleep.

Once he was in front of the staircase leading to the Girls' Tower, he gulped and, wobbling, got on the broomstick. You couldn't _climb _up to the girls' dormitories, but who said you couldn't _fly _up there?

He flew silently and got off near Mary's bed. She was sleeping peacefully, her hands balled into fists and her mouth slightly agape, her chest rising and falling as she breathed.

He jabbed a finger into her shoulder and kept on jabbing until she stirred. Then he stuck the wand near her throat and said in a deep voice, not at all his usual squeaky one, "Make a sound and you're dead."

Mary's eyes suddenly flew open and she stared at him, her face showing such fright that she actually tried to say something but her voice died in her throat.

"What I need you to do," he began. "Is to stop meddling in affairs that do not concern you. Leave Potter and Evans alone! Lay one finger on either of them, let alone _talk _to either one of them, and you will die. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"I know where to find you," he said, hopping on Sirius' broomstick. "If one word of our conversation reaches anyone, beware, because that night I will sneak up here and stab you in your sleep."

She nodded.

"Now go to bed and try to forget that I was here."

She nodded again, and he zoomed out of the dorm. But he didn't go fast enough for her not to identify the familiar scratch on the broomstick's handle, which could only mean that it was Sirius Black's.

* * *

Mary spent a whole week scrutinizing Sirius. He looked happy, cheerful as ever. He wouldn't have threatened her that night. But make no mistake, she was positive that the broomstick was his. Even though he wasn't as short as the figure in her room, who knew, he might have been kneeling! And she had kept her promise. She had not bothered Lily nor James for a week. But she didn't intend to continue it. A week later, she fingered her wand nervously, getting ready to stand up to him that morning.

She stepped out into the corridor just as Sirius and Remus strolled along it. She walked up to them and asked, "Remus, can I talk to Sirius for a minute?"

Remus shrugged and walked away. Just as he disappeared over the staircase, Mary turned to face Sirius.

"What do you want?" he almost spat at her, adopting a look of pure loathing. She sighed. She knew why he was angry. Who would _not _be angry if some idiot screwed with their best friend?

Mary didn't answer but instead drew her wand and pointed it at his throat. His eyes widened for a second before they narrowed.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"Don't move or I'll-" she gulped. "I'll kill you!"

He almost rolled his eyes but thought better of it. "Does that mean I can't speak either?"

"Just shut up!" she said. "Now, before anyone comes along this corridor, I'm saying that I know you threatened me that night. I know it! I saw someone come inside my dorm in the dead of the night, on _your _broom, Sirius Black." she stopped as she watched his confused expression. She could be wrong. But she could be right, as well- he could be acting.

"What- What are you-" he began, but she cut him off.

"I know it was you," she said. "And you keep off me or I'll tell Dumbledore about this." she swiftly pocketed her wand just as the portrait door swung open and some fifth years walked across the corridor. She gave Sirius one last look as if to admonish him about her threat, and then bounded down the staircase.

Sirius just stared. _What the heck was that? _he wondered. Threatened her in the dead of the night? On _his _broom? Was she crazy, or was she serious?

"Definitely crazy," he shrugged, waiting for Hestia outside the portrait door. But nonetheless he had a nagging part of his mind telling him to find out what was going on.

* * *

At breakfast the same day, all talk subsided as Dumbledore walked into the Great Hall, a girl by his side. Most boys dropped glasses which shattered on the floor, or choked on their pumpkin juice, or just sat there with a dreamy-eyed expression whilst the girls all just rolled their eyes.

"I am pleased to welcome our new student, Phillipa Laroche," Dumbledore beamed, and the girl Phillipa winked, causing almost all the boys in the hall to swoon.

"She is _so _a veela," Sirius said quietly, not once taking his eyes off her, which irritated Hestia to no end. Phillipa's silvery hair fanned behind her, seemingly without any wind to blow it, and her fair skin shone as bright as the white moon. And she wasn't entirely veela-looking... but similar. _She must be a part veela, _Hestia thought, but it didn't help much more than knowing she was a full veela.

"She will not be sorted," Dumbledore continued. "But will take classes with the Gryffindors, as per her choice."

The Gryffindor boys almost drooled in longing, and Lily was glad to see that Phillipa's beauty did not affect James in the slightest. He was looking at her, but not like Sirius was. He was looking at her indifferently.

"But she will not share common rooms or dorms, as I will provide her with suitable accommodation." said Dumbledore. Many of the Gryffindors groaned. Then he whispered something to Phillipa, who nodded, and started walking, no, _floating- _gracefully over to the Gryffindor table. Many people actually half-rose in their seat in anticipation of her sitting next to them. But Phillipa paid them no attention, and instead made her way over to the Marauders, and sat to the left of Sirius, who was left dumbstruck. Hestia, who was sitting to his right, narrowed her eyes.

"Why, aren't you handsome," Phillipa said in a singsong voice, and Sirius just gaped.

"Um, hey there, Miss Hypocrite, but he is _not _available," Hestia said, anger showing in her voice. Phillipa just laughed.

"Oh?" she asked. "Are you saying that he's with a jealous bitch like you?" Hestia's eyes flared. "Well, you _are _pretty..." she paused. "ugly,"

"This is bad," Remus said quietly in Lily's ear. He, like James, was not affected by her beauty, but Peter was drooling all over his plate.

"Hey!" Sirius snapped back to reality. "Did you just call her ugly?" the others smiled. They had never seen Sirius so angry.

"Did I?" Phillipa chewed at the fingernail of her right pinky-finger. This was probably meant as a distraction for Sirius to forget his outburst. Unfortunately, it worked. By now, most girls in the hall were practically dragging the boys out, who were still casting Sirius jealous looks and who were still looking at Phillipa in yearning. Most of them actually yelled for her to be with them.

"I don't think you did," Sirius said in a steady voice, almost as if he didn't know what he was saying. Lily whispered to James in a frantic tone.

"We need to get him out of here," she said. He nodded and stood up. "Come on, Pads, we have Care of Magical Creatures,"

"Right," said Sirius said, shaking his head and standing up. The others followed suit.

"Oh, do we?" Phillipa asked, surprised. Then she smiled and stood up too. "Well, I'm afraid I don't quite know where it is. Perhaps you'd like to show me...?" she trailed off, asking for Sirius' name.

"Sirius," he replied, his eyes having a hungry look in them.

"That's a nice name," she said, and he almost fainted but Hestia grabbed his arm, all the while glaring at Phillipa.

"No, he's going down with me," James piped up, much to everyone's relief, except Phillipa's and Sirius'. "Aren't you, Padfoot?"

"Oh, fine," he rolled his eyes, but his very tone showed that he wished to escort her himself. Phillipa frowned for a split second, before her lips curved into a bright smile. Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed Sirius on the cheek.

"I'll be seeing you," she winked, and then she was gone. Sirius sighed, nonchalant towards Hestia's unbelievably angered expression, and allowed James and Remus to drag him out of the hall.

"Hest, you okay?" Lily asked Hestia, who had just shattered a goblet which had been clutched in her hand. The shards dropped to the floor, and Lily looked at her in slight fear, as if expecting Hestia to attack her.

"Okay?" she gave an empty laugh. "_Okay? _Well, I'll tell you how I feel. Jerk told me he loved me last week, and voila! Here we are, barely making it seven days before he's fawning over Filled-With-Crap Phillipa,"

"He told you he _loved _you?" Lily grinned, and Hestia nodded. "Hest, that's great! That's awesome! That's-"

"No, it's not!" she said furiously as they walked across the grounds. "Come on, that... that... _dingus _is out to ruin my life! And I haven't even had a decent talk with her, unless you can count her calling me a jealous bitch-"

"Look, if Sirius loves you, he'll do the right thing," Lily said. "And you _aren't _a jealous bitch, are you?" Hestia just looked at her, and Lily sighed.

"I hate her," Hestia said in a whimpering tone, and Lily put an arm around her shoulders, hugging her tightly.

"She's bad trouble," she agreed, as they seated themselves behind Sirius. Hestia was quick to take the place beside him, but Phillipa beat her to it. She gave Hestia a smug smile, before cupping her face in her hands and fluttering her eyelashes at Sirius in a flirtatious manner. Hestia was about to scream in rage when Lily grabbed her arm and stroked it soothingly. She closed her mouth and stared at the back of Phillipa's perfect head, trying to melt the hideous mind that was encased by the beautiful figure which hid it.

* * *

**I hope you liked my character of Phillipa, I had some help with that. Thanks go to my cousin... who suggested that idea which I absolutely LOVED. :) **


	19. Listening Over

**Hey, I didn't even realize- I've been so stuck up on thanking everyone for their reviews, that I completely forgot to mention... everyone who's followed or favorited my story, that mean a _lot_ to me too! And whoever favorited or followed me, you have no idea how close to dying I am. I'm really grateful!**

**Thanks A LOT! **

**:)**

* * *

Hestia woke up from a bad dream. A dream in which Sirius was... snogging Phillipa. She almost puked over the edge of her bed. The thought was too horrible to even consider. She almost jumped off her bed to make sure that he was, hopefully, _not _snogging Phillipa, but then thought against it. Sirius wouldn't do that. And, lately, she felt like watching over him every second of the day, to be absolutely sure, but she needed to trust him enough not to betray her.

He _wouldn't _do that, would he?

She shook her head and got up. She couldn't sleep anymore. Slowly climbing down the stairs, whilst rubbing her eyes, with every passing step she thought of a new, but impossible, way to murder Phillipa.

The second she stepped into the common room, she regretted it.

For there was the devil herself, sitting comfortably in an armchair, pretending in a very unconvincing way to read a Transfiguration book.

"Ah, look who it is," she said, without lifting her head up from the book. "It's Hestia Bones."

"Jones," Hestia said automatically, cursing herself for acting so stupid.

"Oh you _will _be 'Bones' if you waste your time with Sirius any longer," Phillipa spat, putting the book down and standing up, walking forward until her nose was inches away from Hestia's.

"That's what _you _think," she said. "How did you get in here, anyway? You're supposed to be sleeping somewhere else!"

Phillipa laughed. "Oh, let's just say a very charming boy told me the password,"

"Get out," Hestia said quietly, in as best a controlled voice as she could.

"My pleasure," Phillipa batted her eyelashes in an irresistible manner. Then she ran across the room, right up the boys' tower.

"PHILLIPA!" Hestia screamed, not bothering to wonder just how many students she would be waking up. She ran up after her, knowing where she was headed, and sprinted right into her at the top of the staircase. Stumbling backwards, she kept a hand on the railing to prevent her from falling as Phillipa laughed. Narrowing her eyes, Phillipa darted gracefully into the room, a seething Hestia following after her. No sooner did she enter the room did she see Phillipa at the far end, sitting on Sirius' bed and stroking his hair whilst puckering her lips. He was still sleeping, seeing as, fortunately, Hestia's scream didn't seem to actually wake anyone up.

"Get. Away. From. There." she panted, her eyes shining with ferocity.

"Or what?" Phillipa asked, stopping her finger in midair and instead climbing into the bed with him. Hestia couldn't hold it in any longer.

"GET _AWAY!" _she yelled, and all four boys jerked awake. Sirius sat up and, noticing Phillipa, just stared at her. He didn't move for a second until, getting over her beauty, he climbed right out of the bed.

"What are you _doing _in my bed?" he asked incredulously, and Phillipa looked taken aback.

"Yes, do tell, _Phillipa," _Hestia asked from the doorway. "What _were _you doing in his bed?"

"I-" was all she managed to say. One look from Remus told Peter and Frank to help Hestia out.

"You're not supposed to be up here," Remus said, pulling Phillipa off the bed as gently as he could. She tugged her arm back and didn't budge.

"Says who?" she demanded.

"Says Dumbledore," Peter said. "If he knows that you've come up here, then you're in trouble."

She huffed and stood up. Giving Sirius one last wink, she trotted out of the room, careful to shove Hestia into the wall on the way.

"Thanks," Hestia sighed to Peter, who smiled. But he wasn't really doing this for her.

* * *

"You don't know how long I've waited for this," Lily snuggled against James chest. She couldn't really see anything, because of the darkness, but that didn't matter much when they were sitting on the sofa.

"For what?" he asked.

"_Us," _she replied in an obvious tone. He laughed.

"Let me guess- two months?"

"I don't know, really..." she said. "I'm thinking it was before that,"

"Really?" he asked, and she was silent. The were both silent for a while. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," she confessed, and he laughed a little.

"You're strange," he kissed her forehead, and she smacked him lightly on the stomach.

"Shut up," she snorted. Though she could not see it, she could feel his head tilting to the side a bit.

"Who said that's a bad thing?" he shrugged, and she smiled to herself. Totally James Potter. She looked up and gave him one, long kiss just as Hestia walked through the door.

"PETAL, YOU WON'T _BELIEVE _WHAT JUST-" she stopped in her tracks and blushed. Lily and James blushed too, and broke apart, Lily tapping her foot against the round and James running a hand through his hair. "Spare me," she murmured, then turned around and went straight out the door.

"No! Hest, come back," Lily called. Hestia almost reluctantly turned around and walked up to her.

"Fine." she said. "Shoo," she waved a hand in James direction, and he raised his eyebrows. "I said, _shoo!" _he got up and, throwing a questioning look at her, went up to his bedroom. The moment he went Lily burst into giggles.

"_'Shoo'?" _she mimicked.

"Honestly, Petal, you should put a sign on the door saying 'Do Not Disturb, Head Girl and Boy-"

Lily didn't allow Hestia to finish her sentence. "So, what 'just happened' to you?"

Hestia's grin faded and was replaced by a grimace. "Phillipa."

"You mean, Filled- With- Crap Phillipa," Lily winked, and Hestia smiled a bit. "Come on, what did she do?"

"Well, in a nutshell, she used her trickery to get into the common room, provoked me, ran up the boys tower, climbed into Jerk's bed, and when she got thrown out, she _still _managed to look so... _Phillipa_ish,"

"I just got the nutshell part," Lily sighed, and when Hestia narrowed her eyes, she gave a defensive laugh. "No, I listened to everything. And don't worry, Hest, Ol' Phil won't be able to compete against _you," _

"How can you be so sure?" demanded Hestia.

"Come on!" Lily shrugged. "She's just a pretty girl with no heart, and you're a... well, let's just say you've got both."

"Were you just going to say that I'm an un-pretty girl with a heart?" Hestia gave her a threatening look.

"Maybe," she pouted, and Hestia whacked her at the back of her head.

"Shut up, Lily-Petal," she snorted. "And seriously, what do I do about her? She as good as told me that if I go anywhere near Jerk again she'll murder me,"

"She _said _that?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Well she said that I'd become 'Hestia Bones' if I so much as touched him,"

"Yikes," Lily squinted one eye. "But it's fine. Sirius won't do anything, I promise,"

"Not if she keeps hitting on him with that _perfect _voice of hers!"

"Hest," Lily put both her hands on her shoulders and frowned very seriously. "It's all going to be okay," they just sat there staring at each other for a few seconds before they burst out laughing, for no reason at all.

* * *

It was a full moon night that night. Lily leaned her head against her bedpost and stared into the star- spangled night sky. No light entered her room except the one from the moon, which made all the items in her bedroom seem strangely eerie. She sighed. Hestia was off with Alice, scheming about a way to get back at Phillipa. She would have gone with them but chose not to, for god knows what reason. And she was supposed to go for patrols over an hour ago, with Amos Diggory, but decided against it without a second thought.

James had left with Sirius a long time ago, and she felt curiosity and worry boil up in the pit of her stomach. Mixed with a _bit _of impatience.

She could hold it no more. She had calmly let them go for over three months, but not anymore. She would have to find out what was going on. How could they spend time with a fully- fledged werewolf, without getting bitten? She had still not found the answer to that.

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright. Why not?

She ran downstairs and felt her shadow follow her over the stairs, as if letting her know that she was not alone, and that she would be capable of handling this. As soon as she stepped over the carpet near the sofa, she stopped and thought. Why did she need to do this? What was its purpose? _I'll find out once I actually do it, _she assured herself, and without hesitating, she darted up James staircase, ran into his bedroom, and threw open his trunk.

Shuffling through all of his things, she found what she was looking for. At last. She pulled the Marauder's Map from the shirt that encased it, and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she had expected. Why would they take the Marauder's Map with them, when they knew every single exit from the castle by heart? She stuffed the map into her pocket, shut the trunk, and climbed down the stairs.

No sooner did she land on the bottom staircase than she let out a terrible scream. For, there was someone's head sitting in the fireplace, grinning from ear to ear, and as soon as she got over herself, she sank to her knees and started laughing. She laughed until her sides hurt, and then wiped a tear from her eye and ran over.

"Evie! What are you doing?" she knelt in front of the fireplace and reached her hand out as if to touch her, but Evie's eyes grew wide.

"I don't think you should do that," she said. Lily had never heard her speak before, and was instantly awed by the beautiful singsong voice of hers. She withdrew her hand and and stared at Evie for a minute. Though she had seen her move in the picture she had never seen her so... alive. Evie's cheeks looked as if they were about to burst from smiling. "Nice to meet you, finally!"

"Likewise," Lily grinned. She had forgotten her hurry by now and and was eagerly taking in Evie's appearance, her personality, everything about her. She had wanted to meet her for so long that she couldn't go now, now that she was right in front of her.

"So!" asked Evie, curiosity dripping from her voice as much as she tried to conceal it. Lily giggled a bit. "I think this is exactly how I imagined you to look like,"

"Didn't James have a picture of me?"

"Even so," she said, and Lily smiled.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated. Evie sighed somewhat in disappointment.

"I wanted to see you," she frowned. "Didn't you want to see me too?"

"Of course I did," Lily said. "I just meant- why now, since it's a werewolf night?"

"Gosh!" Evie's brown eyes grew wide. "Is it really? Merlin, Lily, I didn't know."

"Sorry, I thought you did and that your visit happened to do with that,"

"Anyway, what were _you _doing?" Evie's eyes narrowed in shrewdness.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, confused.

"You know what I mean!" Evie was grinning now, but not in a fun way. Rather, in an accusing way. "What were you doing up in James' bedroom?"

Lily blushed. If it were anyone else she wouldn't tell, but Evie's large, trusting eyes and hypnotizing voice forced her to.

"I took the Marauder's Map from his trunk," she confessed. "I was planning to follow them and see what they were up to,"

Lily was surprised to see fear shine in her eyes. "I- I don't think you should do that," said Evie, biting her lip nervously.

"Why not?" Lily asked questioningly. Evie bit her lip even harder. She had promised James that she would not tell anyone that they were Animagi. And yet if Lily went out now, then they were caught for sure. Lily's letters were still all piled in her room, and even she knew that most of them were full of sadness and anger. And if she figured out now, then who knows what would happen? She owed it to James not to tell her, and she had to keep a promise no matter how drastic it may be.

"I just don't think you'd want to," she said finally.

"You know something," Lily smiled slightly, resting her elbows on the floor and resting a hand on each of her cheeks. "That you're not telling me,"

"I can't tell you everything," said Evie, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "Look, I'm sorry! But I promised-"

"Whom did you promise?" she cut Evie short.

"I can't tell you,"

"You must,"

"I can't,"

"Come on, Evie, you have to!" she was getting impatient now.

"Look, I can't break a promise as easily as most people, Lily!" Evie snapped a bit. "It's hard for me."

"I would break a promise if it meant doing the right thing."

"But I'm not sure that telling you _is _the right thing, don't you get it?"

Lily whipped her head around, not wanted Evie to see the anger in her face. After all that she had told her, Evie couldn't break a single promise she had made? "Sorry, I have to go." she got up and, ignoring Evie's protests, walked over to the door and threw it open.

* * *

Amos walked the halls alone. Lily had blown him off, on something as measly as _patrols. _Couldn't she make it to even a single thing on time? Now he was stuck walking the corridors by himself. No one was around, and though he would never admit it, he was immensely afraid of the dark. He shuddered as a draft hit him from the side, blowing in from one of the open windows. He almost screamed in fright. For there, on the windowsill, was the pale figure of Phillipa Laroche, grinning from ear to ear and twirling her hair with one long, slim finger. Her silhouette contrasted so heavily with the dark background that Amos actually had to blink twice to adjust himself to the whiteness of her hair.

"Well, well, what have we here?" she stood up slowly, walking towards him in gentle, even steps. "One handsome boy, alone in a corridor, a marvelous girl at his heels,"

"Am I really... handsome?" he drooled a bit at the corner of his mouth, not being able to move with her being so close.

"Well, it's a shame that there is another in my life," she sighed dramatically, as if regretting her words. "I suppose you know one by the name of Sirius Black?"

"Black, huh?" Amos said angrily.

"Yes, I suppose you know him?" She walked along the corridor, and Amos was forced to run to catch up, like a puppy at her feet.

"Know him?" he scoffed. "Of course I know him! He's a pervert! _Black, _honestly-"

"Now, now," Phillipa pouted, turning around to sharply that Amos collided into her. She put a finger to his lips and he found the touch extraordinarily calming and yet intimidating. "You don't want to make me angry."

"I don't think I do," he said quietly, unconscious of his mouth moving.

"Good," she removed her finger and continued to walk. "Then maybe you could do something for me? Please?"

Amos could not resist her charming tone. "All right." he agreed. She grinned, but he was too detached from himself to notice that the grin was villainous- looking.

"Well, Hestia Jones is certainly pretty, don't you think?"

"Yeah, she was my first choice right after Lily," he admitted, and her grin became even more wider.

"I need you to help me break them up," she relayed her plans. "Her and Sirius. Would you?"

"Of course," he said, his face full of malice.

* * *

Lily stepped out into the corridor and shrank against the wall as Amos and Phillipa came around the corner. Moving slowly to the side, she threw herself behind a window curtain and strained her ears. What was Phillipa doing out with Amos?"

"-Jones is certainly pretty, don't you think?" Phillipa's voice sounded so near to her that she almost jumped.

"Yeah, she was my first choice right after Lily."

"I need you to help me break them up. Her and Sirius. Would you?"

"Of course," Amos' last sentence came out as a rasp. Lily shook with anger as the laughing duo descended the stairs. She emerged from behind the curtain and stomped a foot angrily on the ground, as if it would make herself feel better. That idiot was going _nowhere _near Hestia and Sirius. Okay, if Phillipa were going after James it probably would have been bad too, but it would be better than going after Sirius. She could have handled it, but she doubted Hestia could.

She shook her head; now was not the time to think about this. Now was not the time to think about her conversation with Evie either. Now was the time to think of Remus and the others. She hastily withdrew the map and, whispering, just as James had told her, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good', she scrutinized the map for any signs of Filch. Good. He was on the second floor.

She had not opened the map since that day in James' bedroom, but had every detail etched in her mind nonetheless. _Now, _she cleared her throat. _James and Sirius needed to get out of the castle unseen, in order to use the secret passageway here, _she pointed toward the Whomping Willow. _That shouldn't have been too difficult, with the Invisibility Cloak. And they would have left the Cloak somewhere, taking it into the place where Remus would be transforming would be too dangerous. And I can't get out of the castle unless I'm invisible, so... _after a lot of thought, she finally came to a conclusion. _I need to use a passageway that goes out of Hogwarts, preferably a one that goes into Hogsmeade. Then I can sneak over to the Willow, find the Cloak,wear it and voila! No one will notice.__  
_

She ran down the staircase and wondered that every second she wasted would mean Remus would be growing ever more human.

* * *

James and Sirius sat grumpily near the Whomping Willow. The night had _not _gone according to plan. Remus was alone inside the Shrieking Shack, and the both of them felt so angry that they were ready to tear each other apart as well.

They had gone down together, since Peter had some important work to do, and had decided to wait near the Whomping Willow till he appeared. And they had been waiting for a _long _while. Peter had not shown up, and they couldn't leave either, with Remus inside. And without Peter, they wouldn't be able to paralyze the tree in order to get in.

"Where _is _he?" James tapped his foot on the ground in impatience.

"Prongs, you've asked that every minute for the past three hours," Sirius almost yelled. "And now, if that dingus _doesn't _show, then we'll have been waiting here, for half the night, vulnerable to the teachers finding out, and most probably getting kicked out of school because we broke the law, spending the rest of our days in Azkaban."

"All because of Wormtail," James concluded, and Sirius' eyes narrowed angrily.

"Because of Wormtail," he repeated, more loathing showing in his voice than in James'. He got up and began pacing around.

"Padfoot! Watch-" James exclaimed suddenly, but it was too late. Sirius had already gone too close to the Whomping Willow, which lashed out one of its branches and struck his face.

"OW!" he yelled, staggering back a few paces. James ran to catch up to him, and got rewarded with a gash similar to Sirius'. He clutched his bleeding arm for a second before yanking Sirius backwards. Unfortunately, they both came in the way of another swinging branch, and got thrown five feet away from each other. Sirius got up but tripped over a rock, and James tried to crawl forward but wasn't able to because the branches were all wildly thrashing around in front of his face. He got up and took a step backwards, which was an unwise thing to do, because a branch came in his way and he was swept off his feet, the limb supporting him. He hastily clutched at the bark with all his might, seeming as if he didn't, he would go flying another twenty feet in the air. He felt his breath leave him as he looked down and all he saw was a blur, the tree was swinging him around so hard. He could make out Sirius' shape on the ground, moving as far away from the trunk as possible, and felt his stomach go numb. There was no right moment to let go of the branch. At last, he braced himself and let his hands fall, luckily landing several yards away, courtesy of the strength of the Willow. Sirius was right in front of him. The both of them lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.

"That was stupid," Sirius said finally, gingerly touching his bloody cheek. James almost laughed.

"The real problem is how we're going to explain all of this." he said, wincing.

"All of what?"

"Come on, Padfoot, look at yourself, you look like you've been shredded to pieces. And I'm sure I look the same."

"Mate, you look worse," Sirius admitted. Then they began a banter to distract them from the pain of their injuries, and to make them forget the enormity of their situation. Fortunately, it worked. They sat up against a fallen log and playfully teased each other on who looked the worst, not knowing that at that very second Lily was approaching fast.

* * *

Peter stood in front of the Dark Lord, in the Forbidden Forest. He had totally lost himself in the Dark Lord's plans, and had completely forgotten about Remus. He had told Voldemort everything about Lily and James, finally feeling as if he was free from the unbelievable burden that hung over his shoulders, and absorbed himself into the evil that clouded his heart.

Suddenly, he remembered. _Oh no! _he panicked, his fingers shaking. _What will I say to James and Sirius? I told them I would meet them there, and..._

"Is there a problem, Pettigrew?" Voldemort asked, twiddling his wand between his fingers. Peter's face paled. If he went now, he would be subjected to the wrath of both Voldemort _and _his friends. But if he went later, it would be only his friends whom he would have to face.

He didn't realize that it was cowardice that he was feeling.

"No, My Lord," he replied, gulping.

* * *

Lily crept through the quiet village of Hogsmeade, standing up against the walls of the houses to as to bury herself within shadows lest anyone be there in the streets. The village was so silent that she could hear the sound of her feet on the pavement. Once near the end, she gave up all hopes of remaining stealthy and broke into a fast walk, which turned into a run. Without even worrying about careful eyes, she sprinted across the naked grounds as fast as she could, as if she hoped that if she ran fast enough, and watchful eyes wouldn't notice that she was there.

She saw the Whomping Willow in the distance. Slowing down, partly due to fatigue and partly due to carefulness, she tried to steady her breathing as she heard voices.

She slipped on something soft, and actually gave an audible 'Oop!' as she landed face first on the ground. The voices died out. She scrambled to her feet and noticed that she had slipped over the Invisibility Cloak. She quickly gathered it up into her arms and draped it over her head, trying not to make a sound.

"That might have been Hagrid, you never know," came Sirius' voice. Lily's heart almost stopped beating. She crept closer and closer until she was just a few feet away from the log they were sitting on. It was so dark that she could only make out their silhouettes, but she knew it was them. However much as she wanted to uncover herself and ask them questions, she held her ground.

"Don't be stupid, Padfoot, it didn't sound like Hagrid." said James.

"Hmm," Sirius replied. "Anyway, where were we?"

"Bantering about how bad we look,"

Sirius snorted. "Ah yes, but I don't think that's making me feel better any more..."

"Maybe because I'm saying how un- sexy you look now?" Lily could tell James was grinning.

"Shut up!" whined Sirius. "Anyway, lets talk about how bad we're going to kill Wormy when he gets back."

"I dunno, Pads... I don't think we should."

"But, look what he did!" said Sirius incredulously.

"Look, maybe he just forgot!"

"Forgot to help his friends?" Sirius demanded. "Or was he just trying to get us caught, out here in the open, standing right over the entrance of the Whomping Willow, where, coincidentally, one of _our _friends transforms? Huh? And who knows, if _we _had gone all weird as well, like Moony, then it would have been a lifetime's worth of wait in Azkaban, which I definitely do _not _want to happen!"

"Padfoot, if _we _had gone weird in the first place, then no one would know we were here," James said suddenly, as if in realization. "All the teachers or whoever it is would see, are just... no one! They wouldn't see us! They'd just see two weird figures they can't make out."

"By Merlin, you're right!" agreed Sirius. "Gosh, why didn't we think of that before?"

Lily heard a rustle of grass as the both of them stood up.

"You ready, Pads? Now or never," said James.

"Ready," he said. "One... Two..."

That's when the moon emerged from behind a cloud and bathed the surroundings in a dazzling silver light. Lily literally gasped as she saw the both of them covered in cuts and bruises, not being able to see even an inch of bare skin behind all the blood.

"Three!"

The Cloak slipped between her fingers as she saw James and Sirius with wands in their hands, both of them hunched over as if they were-

"What the hell!" she shrieked, unable to control it. The both of them fell over their own feet as they heard her voice, shaking a bit on the ground.

"Lily- Flower?" was all Sirius managed to say as he straightened up. James couldn't even mutter a single word.

Boy, were they in trouble.

* * *

**Sorry for all my cliffhangers, guys... :)**


	20. Meltdown

**Sorry about the short chapter and if it might seem rushed but I really didn't have time this week...**

* * *

Lily just stared and spluttered quite a bit. What the heck were they doing? And what got them into such a state? She saw Sirius and James get up sort of shakily, wondering if it was because they were intimidated by her or because it was due to blood loss, or both.

"How- What-" she wasn't able to form a sentence. They just looked at the ground, as if making eye contact with her would guarantee them a horrific death. She felt angry. "What the _bloody hell _were the two of you doing?" she demanded, her hand vibrated as much as she tried to clench it steady. "And what made you so... hurt? You look like you've been stomped to shreds!"

"Who's worse- me or him?" Sirius piped up without thinking, and just ended up staring right back at the floor.

"Look at this!" she kept on pointing at different spots on the ground. "Any damn idiot could tell someone's been here tonight! Blood spots everywhere- Merlin, what _happened _to you? And where's Peter?"

"Relax, Flower, we'll tell you everything," said Sirius hastily.

"No!" said James. Lily flashed angry eyes at him. He gave an empty laugh and cleared his throat. "I mean-"

"I know what you mean," she said, walking up to him, jabbing a finger in his chest so that he stumbled back a bit. She ignored her currently red fingertip and narrowed her eyes. "You don't think you can trust me."

"It's not that," he gave a weak smile which made her slant her eyebrows even more. He could barely see the whites of her eyes anymore.

"Oh, don't tell me," she whacked her cheek and leaned back a bit, noticing the Whomping Willow's branches whirling around as if they had been- "You walked right into those branches, didn't you?" she turned back to them. Her face had softened considerably. "What, were you trying to walk through the trapdoor, and get to Remus?"

"Well, what did she think we were doing this whole time?" Sirius muttered to James, who bit his lip while Lily's fury had returned in full force.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I said you're smart to have figured that out." Sirius smiled. She frowned.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, HUH?" she yelled suddenly, her voice echoing of the grounds. She didn't care. "GOING EVEN WITHIN TWENTY FEET OF A WEREWOLF MEANS SUICIDE! YOU OUGHT TO HAVE KNOWN THAT, YOU FUDGEHEADS-"

"Lily, calm down!" James put a hand over her mouth and her voice was muffled considerably, but not quite enough. He could still hear her saying stuff that sounded like 'murder', 'Azkaban', 'Dumbledore' and, strangely enough, 'Hestia'. Finally, she paused and smacked his hand off.

"It's almost morning," she surprised the both of them by saying it so softly. She sighed. "Take the Cloak and go, I'll be right after you." she handed James the Cloak and turned her back to him, drawing her wand and waving it around silently.

"I'm sorry, Flower," said Sirius finally. Lily laughed a bit.

"Sorry for what? Don't worry, I won't tell," she said.

"You won't?" James asked hopefully.

"But," she continued, and they groaned. She whipped back towards them. "You have to promise not to come out here again. Remus can do this himself, he _doesn't _need you to help him with that, however it is you're doing it. Got it?"

James nodded slowly, but in mind he was not nodding. More like... he was cursing himself for lying to her. _We have to, Lily, you wouldn't understand, _he thought, imagining that she could hear him. _You just wouldn't. _

* * *

Peter sat in the Transfiguration classroom the next morning. Now he was going to get it; James and Sirius would be _so _angry at him. He had skipped breakfast and was sitting there alone for an hour, probably. The class would be pouring in any moment now.

"What do I do what do I do what do I do-" he muttered under his breath. That's when the door opened and the students piled inside, talking and gossiping among themselves. He braced himself as James and Sirius appeared, hoping that they wouldn't sit next to him-

They didn't. They just gave him a cold look before going and sitting somewhere else. A part of him felt relieved, the other part disappointed. He waited until class was over before he got up, lagging behind so he could talk to them. Lily and Hestia departed without so much as a glance, and he didn't even stop to look at Phillipa, which was surprising.

"I need to talk to you," he said loudly once everyone had gone.

"About _what, _Wormtail?" Sirius abandoned his act of ignoring him by erupting suddenly. Peter flinched. "That you left us waiting last night, the fact that Lily- Flower came along and we couldn't tell her anything? That she got so mad at us that we had to promise never to go there again? That the _Whomping Willow _beat us to a pulp when we took one wrong step? Come on, she almost saw us transforming!"

"Give him a break, Pads," James sighed. Sirius ignored him.

"He doesn't deserve a break." he huffed and crossed his arms. Peter was on the verge of tears without even knowing it.

"Look! I forgot, okay? I just-"

"Oh, you _forgot?" _Sirius couldn't hold it in anymore. "_Forgot?" _he repeated, almost laughing in the process. "Moony really needed us! How come you couldn't remember that?"

"Look, I'm sorry, Sirius! It won't happen again," said Peter shakily. "Promise."

Sirius just muttered 'won't happen again' in a mocking tone under his voice, and just tapped his foot on the ground, as if waiting for James to back him up.

"We should go," he said bluntly, grabbing Sirius by the shoulder and steering him out of the classroom. Peter sighed. He could never do anything right.

* * *

Lily sat in front of the fire for most of the lunch break. Hestia was out with Alice, talking about Phillipa,which Lily _did not _want to do at the moment, and James was out with Sirius, Remus was in the Hospital Wing, and Peter... well, no one really cared about him anymore.

Lily was sitting in the fire primarily for one reason: she was expecting Evie to come through the fire again. She wanted to talk to her, about what had happened yesterday. Maybe she would apologize.

She had already sent her a letter but wasn't really expecting a reply very soon. Soon, as in not at all. If she were Evie, she wouldn't send a letter back, no matter how much pleading reached her ears.

And those two: it really was a close shave last night, but she still couldn't figure out what they were doing, no matter how many times she went through it in her head. _They walked straight into the Whomping Willow, _she thought. _Was it by accident, or was it on purpose? Did they actually want to be with Remus? And if they managed to get through the branches, what made them so sure that they would be able to survive alone with him? And when they found out I was there, what did Sirius mean? What was it he said... oh, right. 'If we had gone all weird as well, like Moony...'._

She still couldn't find the answer to that, no matter how much she stressed on it. But she couldn't try and forget it anymore; she had been doing that for the past few months, but trying wasn't everything, was it? She couldn't help it, she was curious and eager for more information. And she knew that Evie could give it to her. And James. Or even Sirius. And Remus. And Peter. No one else knew.

She got up and sighed. Walking over to her table, she grabbed her books and slipped them into her bag just as James walked through the door.

"Um... hey," he said, slightly awkwardly. He hadn't talked to her at all through the morning.

"Hi," she called without looking at him.

"Are you... angry at me?" he asked bluntly.

"What makes you think that?" she asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"You're avoiding eye contact," he walked up to her and she finally looked up at him.

"Look, I just _need _to know," she said. "Did you mean it? When you said you would never go back again? With Remus?"

"Of course I meant it," he pulled her close and gave her a big hug. "I know how much it means to you."

"Okay," she said quietly, closing her eyes.

"What do you say we... miss a bit of Herbology?" he asked, and Lily smiled.

"This time I have to say that it's fine with me," she kissed him, and he laughed a bit.

"_Finally!" _he punched the air with his fist as she smacked him lightly.

"Only once," she said firmly, but he had already pulled her over to the sofa.

* * *

"Hey, Jerk," Hestia grinned and he jumped.

"Merlin's socks, Twat, never do that again." Sirius said, stepping away from his trunk and facing her. No one was in the room. She walked up to him and gave him a long kiss.

"You mean never do _that _again?" she asked slyly and he pouted.

"Ah, I take it back," he laughed and kissed her again.

"Eww!" came a shriek from the door. They broke apart and stared at a disgusted Phillipa, who was leaning against the doorway with her hand under her nose. Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Hear that, Jerk? She thinks you're disgusting," she said.

"You do?" he asked in a pitiful voice so charming that even Phillipa stopped grimacing.

"No, Sirius, that's not what I meant at all," she smiled and glided over to them. Hestia pulled herself closer to Sirius and Phillipa laughed. "I just came here to give you a present."

"A present?" he asked hopefully and she stuffed a small box into his hand.

"Here," she said. "For you. Bet _Hestia _never gave you anything before."

"Come on, Jerk, time for Herbology," Hestia narrowed her eyes at Phillipa and pulled Sirius down the staircase.

"She's right, Twat." he said. "You never gave me anything."

"I'm sorry for that," Hestia gritted her teeth. "But I've been kind of been busy hating that-" she used a word that was surely not allowed in the halls of the castle, "And I've not really had time to do anything else."

They walked across the now frosty grounds of Hogwarts and straight into the greenhouses, where the rest of the students were waiting for them. Professor Sprout hadn't arrived yet.

"Hey Padfoot, have you seen Prongs and Lily?" Remus folded his arms. Sirius shook his head.

"Nope," he said, and then grinned. "But I bet they're-"

"Don't even say the word or I'll murder you," Remus put his fingers in his ears. Hestia giggled, forgetting about Phillipa for a split second before the memory came back again as Phillipa herself came strutting into the greenhouse, silence following her arrival. The girls all rolled their eyes while the boys just stared at her. Except for maybe Remus. Hestia actually had to slap Sirius tomake him stop looking.

"Ow! What was that for?" he rubbed his cheek.

Professor Sprout stepped into the greenhouse just then, her frayed hat teetering on her head. Silence issued, and Lily and James arrived towards the end of the class, getting a thorough scolding from Sprout, before they joined Hestia, Sirius, Remus, Alice, and Frank at their table. Their cheeks flushed, they nervously tried to flatten their ruffled hair while their friends grinned.

"Hope you had a nice-"

"I told you, Padfoot, _don't say the word!" _said Remus loudly, earning a cold stare from Sprout before he faced the front again, abashed. Once Sprout's lecture was over, hubbub broke out, and they were free to talk.

"Um, Hest?" asked Lily. "I need to talk to you."

"What about, Petal?" Hestia asked. James, Sirius and Remus were all minding their own business and they were left by themselves.

"Mind if I hear?" Alice joined them.

"No," Lily smiled. "But listen.. Hest, this is important."

"What is?" asked Hestia.

"It's about Phillipa," confessed Lily.

"I knew it," Hestia banged her fist on the table in anger.

"Tell us quick, Lily, before anyone butts in," said Alice.

"I heard her talking to Diggory the other day," Lily whispered so that no one could hear. "She asked him whether he would help her break the two of you up, and he said yes. Just... be careful, if it has anything to do with those two." she bit her lip and waited for Hestia to respond.

Hestia didn't say anything, but just pulled Sirius out of the greenhouse in the middle of the class in fury, ignoring Sprout's calls, and faced him a few hundred meters away from the greenhouse. Sharp wind bit her face but she didn't care.

"What was that about?" he asked. She just held out her palm.

"Give me that box," she ordered. "The one that Little-Miss-Perfect gave you."

"What, you mean Phillipa's box?" he asked. She tried not to lose her temper when he acknowledged that Phillipa was a 'Little-Miss-Perfect'.

"_Yes, _that box." she rolled her eyes. Confused, Sirius took the box out of his pocket and handed it to her. She tore off the beautiful wrapping paper and, opening the lid of the box, just stared at what was inside.

A ring. The most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

She wanted to give him a ring.

Closing the box angrily, she marched up to the banks of the lake and, with tears in her eyes, she threw it with all her might out into the water. It landed with a soft 'plop' in the distance, and, turning back, she saw that Sirius had walked right up to her and was looking at her with a confused and yet angry expression. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

"What was that for?" he asked quietly but yet in a deadly voice.

"I don't want you to talk to her," choked Hestia. "Ever again."

Sirius just shook his head. "What have you got against her, Twat?" he asked. "She gave me something, and you just threw it away! What was it?"

"Nothing of importance," Hestia lied. It was important to her.

"It's mine," he said. "I want to know."

"You don't need to know."

"Are you jealous or something?" he asked. She looked surprised. "I mean, is that why you threw it? Because you wanted to give me something first?"

"No!" she almost yelled. "She's a _bad person, _Sirius, how can't you see that?"

"She's not a bad person!" he took her by the shoulders. "If you could just get to know her-"

Hestia gave an empty laugh. "Know her? I know what she's doing! I know what _you're _doing, and I want you to stop it! And if you don't, and if you like her, then what are we doing here?"

He couldn't say anything for a few seconds.

"You think I like her?" he asked in such a soft voice that she couldn't even hear him. "Merlin Twat, I love _you, _not her!"

"So are you telling me that you don't know she's hitting on you? And you let her?"

"She-" he hesitated. "She doesn't."

"I've been _watching _Phillipa!" she exclaimed. "She even threatened me, said that if I don't lay off you, she'd kill me!"

"I don't believe you," he said.

"Fine," Hestia said, pushing him away, regretting her outburst but she couldn't help it. It was like fire. "Fine! You don't believe me, you're defending her, and you said that you're not going to stop talking to her, all in one sentence."

"Why did you push me?"

"Are you going to stop talking to her?" she demanded, and he shook his head.

"No," he gulped. "No, I'm not."

"Then go," she said, pushing him again. "Go, and I never want to talk to you again. Go be with Phillipa, if that's what you want."

"I don't-"

"You do, don't deny it!" she screamed, just as the class spilled out of the greenhouse, all of them stopping to watch. Not wanting to create a scene, Sirius just closed his eyes and backed away, finally turning around and walking away from her. She burst into tears, sinking to her knees and accepting consolidating hugs from Lily and Alice even though she wasn't aware of them.

Phillipa had won.

* * *

**If you guys want to kill me, I'll be right here, so go ahead. **

**But PLEASE DON'T!**

**Hope you understand, I'll try to make it better. :) **


	21. Eight Tentacles Wrapped Around a Ring

The Giant Squid spread his tentacles wide, feeling pleased seeing all the fish and mermen flee before him, afraid that they'll be caught and turned into his midday snack. He was deep into the Black Lake, passing his time frightening the pitiful sea folk, having nothing better to do.

He was just turning around, wading through the dense network of waterweed, when he felt something tickle the top of his elongated head. Slow-minded as he was, he payed it no mind. He passed through the waterweed, and felt the 'thing' roll of his head and drop to the ground in front of his eyes. His bulbous pupils slid to look at it, and he just saw the corners of a object he had not seen before, which looked like a dark-square-open-thing with a circle-bright-hole-stone-thing in the center.

He was stressing his mind too much. Looking up from it, he began to swim towards the surface, hardly noticing one of his tentacles brushing the circle-bright-stone-thing in the process.

He couldn't swim to the surface any more.

In front of his eyes flashed the image of a supposedly beautiful young girl, the ends of her intelligent eyelashes curved upwards, her long white hair flowing down her back, her smile piercing the ends of the earth, as it seemed to him. She was laughing, and his heart rose. Then she was crying, and he felt like rushing to her side to comfort her. He just _couldn't _stop thinking about her, whoever she was. Perhaps she was a student, at the strange house near the water?

He kicked for the surface as fast as his eight tentacles would allow him.

He had to have her, or he wouldn't survive.

* * *

Hestia was still crouched near the banks of the lake, after hastily telling Lily and Alice to leave, not knowing whether to be sad, or angry. It was some time after she had chucked the ring into the water, and she couldn't bother with wondering what had happened to it. Who cared? She hated it. Never wanted to see it again. It was the _thing _that had possibly made her so angry.

But she was angry at Sirius too. He should have listened to her. The fact that he would choosed-she shuddered to say it- _Phillipa _over her, was so depressing that she couldn't move her legs even if she tried.

The crying had stopped a while ago. It looked at her tears had simply run out for her to weep any more. She stared out into the lake, wondering how the Potions class was going, having nothing better to think about. She planned to miss most of her classes that day, knowing that it was an extremely cowardly thing to do, but she just couldn't imagine her going. Her mind was too messed up.

She slowly regained feeling in her legs. Was that a good sign? Twitching one of her toes, she crawled towards the edge of the water, going far enough as to allow her hands to sink under. She stood up on wobbly legs, feeling the water wash over her feet as a chill ran down her spine. Walking further into the lake, she realized that this was what she needed- a distraction. A small smile played around the corners of her lips as she remembered about all the fun she used to have out at the beach in front of her house. It was like she liked being in the sea more than on land, though it was the first time she had ever stepped into the lake since she came to Hogwarts.

Without thinking twice, she walked further into it, wincing as sharp stones pinched the bottom of her feet, though not minding in the least. This was where she was meant to be; in the water.

* * *

Sirius stared at Hestia as she waded out into the lake. The others had gone for Potions, and he had insisted that he stay behind. He was hiding, obviously, behind a tree, so she wouldn't see him, and he was silently cursing himself for the good part of half an hour.

He knew now, that he should have listened to her. He shouldn't have chosen Phillipa.

And why, in heavens name, did he choose Phillipa? Maybe Hestia was right, maybe he _did _like her.

But he didn't! He loved Hestia, not Phillipa! And he shouldn't have walked away. That was a very stupid thing to do. She had a right to be jealous, of course! Now that he thought of it, he _had _been acting a bit weird around Phillipa, and he shouldn't have been. If Hestia didn't want him to talk to her ever again, then he should have said that he wouldn't.

_Ah, what have I done? _he thought with a sigh. He had done the wrong thing. _Maybe I should go talk to her..._

Maybe he should.

* * *

Hestia was shoulder- deep in the water now. Her soaking robes felt much heavier, but what the heck? Robes were the least of her worries.

Right now, all she wanted was freedom.

That's when the absolutely _giant _head of the Giant Squid came up barely from three feet in front of her face. Its humongous eyes had an unnaturally wild look in them, and its tentacles waved around her like they planned to wrap around her neck.

She was silent only for a moment before she screamed.

"EEEEK!" the sound was shrill and pierced the calm atmosphere as she turned around and tried to run towards shore, but her waterlogged clothes held her back. She was barely going a mile an hour. She didn't even look back at the squid, afraid of the sheer image of its crazy face, and, noticing the heaviness of her robes, realized what she had to do.

No one was around, right?

As fast as she could, she slid the cloak off her shoulders, moving forward as she went along, half worrying what would happen should she never find her clothes in the water again. Ducking her head underneath the surface, she slid her shoes off and, knowing that she didn't have time to disrobe any further, began to swim forwards, air bubbled erupting through her mouth as one of the squid's tentacles closed around her arm.

She couldn't breath.

Water flowed into her lungs and she couldn't help it. She couldn't move her arm either, seeing as the width of the squid's tentacles was wider than the length of her arm and was not allowing movement at all.

Her heart sank. Her wand was in her cloak. Her cloak had most probably drifted into the lake.

She almost laughed at the possibility of her death being caused by the _Giant Squid, _of all people.

Then she passed out.

* * *

Sirius heard the scream as he whipped around, his first sight being of the Giant Squid, which was standing just a few feet away from Hestia. Try as he might, he couldn't move. He saw her remove her cloak and then dive underneath the water, never to come up for at least quite a bit of time, and _that _was when he regained his senses and darted towards the water as fast as he could.

"Twat!" he called, wondering whether he had actually ever called her 'Hestia' before, drawing his wand just as the tips of his toes touched the water.

The Giant Squid pulled her above the surface, lifting her so high that her feet dangled more than a foot above, and felt his heart sink as he looked at her face. She wasn't the one he wanted. He let her fall and felt droplets splatter in his face as she sank beneath the water, planning to move ahead just as something hot stung his face and he blacked out almost immediately.

Sirius replaced his wand back in his pocket as he swam out towards the squid, feeling pleased that he had managed to hit it, and groped around in the water for Hestia. He was ashamed to admit that he had never opened his eyes underwater before, it hurt too much. In fact, he never went into the water if he could help it.

His arm closed around something soft, and he pulled. It was Hestia's upper arm, and he yanked hard, dread filling his being as her white face emerged from over the surface.

"Twat!" he gulped. "Come on!" _Okay, now I'm just being stupid, _he groaned inwardly as he pulled her towards shore instead, realizing it to be the most logical thing to do. Placing her on solid ground, his calmness vanished and the panic returned in full force.

"What am I supposed to do?" he wondered as a tear rolled down his cheek, disappearing in the water that already covered it. He had never done this before. He wasn't a Healer. He wasn't a God who always knew what to do, like Moony. Or even Lily-Flower.

He was just Padfoot, always cheery, always the optimistic one, the naive one, the one who was most oblivious to bad things going on around him, the one who could never keep a cool head when he needed to.

Yet he had to do something.

He felt like crying, but before he could, he ran his hands over his face as if it would calm him down. Taking deep breaths, he thought back to what his father would do if Regulus somehow almost drowned himself in the shower. _Did _Regulus ever almost drown himself in the shower? Never, and he knew it.

He looked down at her unmoving face and felt his heart rate speed up again. It had been far too long. She could be dead.

_No! She isn't. _he forced himself to think as he crawled a bit closer to her. _She's not going to die. Think logical, Padfoot... she's just fainted. Why would she faint? Um... water in her lungs or something_?

A light bulb clicked on in his head. He had to get the water _out. _He put his hands on her chest and began pushing as hard as he could, hoping that the water would come out.

He was doing something wrong. Nothing happened.

That was when he started crying. And he couldn't stop.

And no matter how much he wanted _not _to believe it, it was the truth. She was dead.

He pulled his elbows into his wet cloak as he sobbed, his hand touching something bumpy. Almost instantly, he stopped crying. Fast as lightning, he pulled his wand out of his pocket, wondering _how _on earth he could have been so stupid so as to forget about it.

He didn't need to speak as he pointed it at her throat, bracing himself as the water slowly floated out, splattering on the ground next to her head.

After a second she coughed.

And he laughed.

"Come on, Twat, off to the Hospital Wing we go," he couldn't stop smiling as he slid one arm under her knees and the other around her neck, lifting her up and, literally bouncing with glee, made his way to the front of the castle.

Hestia, with great difficulty, lifted an eyelid and just saw a blurry shape in front of her. Turned out that whatever it was, it was carrying her but she didn't want to find out who it was. She closed her eye and tried not to pass out again as she nestled her head into something soft, and somehow fell asleep despite the circumstances.

* * *

When she woke up, she was in the Hospital Wing, with Lily's and Alice's faces looming over her.

"Hey, Hest!" smiled Lily.

"God, what time is it?" was the first thing Hestia asked, a groan issuing from her mouth.

"Around six in the morning, but that's not the point," Alice groaned. Hestia closed her eyes.

"What _is _the point, then?" she asked.

"You know, in a way, Hest, almost getting drowned by a squid was probably the best thing that's ever happened to you," Lily was on the verge of whooping, as Hestia noticed.

"How so?"

"Well, once we-" Lily hesitated. Sirius told her not to tell Hestia that he was there. "Um... once we found out what happened, we suspected something weird was going on. You see, the Giant Squid has never really attacked a student before."

"And so..." continued Alice. "We cornered him, well... figuratively, and then we found out the he was under a spell. Or curse, it depends."

"A curse?" asked Hestia curiously.

"Yeah." nodded Lily. "Remember that ring you threw in the water?"

"Of course!"

"Turns out he touched it or did something with it, we have no idea... but _the point is, _there was a curse on the ring that sort made... the, um..." Lily couldn't hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing, joined shortly by Alice.

"What is it? Come on, tell me!" Hestia grew impatient.

"To be blunt, let's just say that the squid's now madly in love with Phillipa and he's _not _going to stop trying to get to her." Alice said. Hestia was silent only for a second before a sly grin crossed her face and her eyebrows creased in a frown.

"Oh, is she going to get it," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Sirius summoned Hestia's cloak and wand from the water early that morning, wondering what Hestia would think if he dropped it off. Or maybe he should just send it with Lily? Wouldn't that be easier?

"That would make you a stinking coward, Padfoot," he told himself firmly, clenching the cloak tight in his fist and walking up the stairs to the fourth floor with adequate confidence. But with every next step, his heart sank even more, until he was right in front of the Hospital Wing with practically no stomach left. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked inside, opening his eyes only once he had walked a few steps.

She was near the end of the wing, staring at the opposite wall with a bored look and steadily tapping her finger on the mattress. His first reaction was of his cheeks growing hot as he tried to think of what would happen if he just dropped the stuff and ran out of the room. I mean, it was okay when she was unconscious, but now...?

Just as he was debating on running away, she turned her head towards the door and he thought, _just great, now I have to..._

_"_Your, um, stuff," he said weakly, waving her cloak around in he air.

"What?" she called, unable to hear him.

"I said, your stuff!" he said slightly louder, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh," she said. Was he just giving an excuse for trying to visit her, or was he just coming there to give her her cloak back, period? Somehow she hoped it was the first one.

"Right. So..." he walked up to her and handed her stuff over, wanting to say something but not knowing what to. He blushed and turned around finally, feeling abashed that being a Gryffindor he was so cowardly, when she said something.

"Um, J- Sirius," she said, blushing too. It felt weird calling him that when she hadn't, ever. "How did you know that this was in the water? I mean, do you know how I got out of there? You know what, scratch that, I actually don't want to know," she said hastily, cursing herself for going on one of her rants now, of all times.

"Oh, um... well, just so you know, I was walking and I saw something in the water so I summoned it and I got this, so..." he lied. _Merlin, cloaks don't float, how dumb am I? _he thought with a mental wince. "And I have no idea how you got out of there, sorry."

"Okay," she said. "I just thought..."

"Thought what?"

"Nothing."

He didn't move for a long while.

"Uh, Tw-" he began, and then stopped. _She might not want me to call her that again. "_Um..."

"It's okay, call me Twat, you _do _remember why we called each other that in the first place?"

"Right," he smiled a bit. "So, Twat, I just... wanted to..."

"Leave?" she asked. Of course he didn't want to leave, but whatever he wanted to say, she didn't want to hear.

"Yeah, that. Yeah. So..." he spluttered a bit. "Bye." and with that, he walked straight out of the room, Hestia's eyes following him all the way, wondering whether they would ever get back together again.

* * *

"Amos!"

Amos turned around and saw Phillipa walking towards him.

"Phillipa?" he asked.

"Turns out I don't need your help after all, " she winked, and then turned around and walked away.

"I guess that's a good thing," he shrugged, and began to stroll down the corridor again, just as James, Sirius, and Remus passed him from the other end.

"Ah!" Sirius hid behind James so fast that _Remus _almost tripped.

"What's wrong with you?" James tried to get out from in front of him, but Sirius held tightly on to his shoulders.

"There's Phillipa," he said quietly, just as she went down the stairs.

"Padfoot, don't be a baby," said Remus. "I mean, come on, it's bad enough you haven't even been to the Hospital Wing during the last _eighteen_ hours, but you don't have to keep hiding every five seconds."

"Look, Twat somehow thinks that everything is Phillipa's fault, and I don't want to make things worse than they already are." Sirius gulped, finally standing up straight and letting go of James' shoulders. They didn't know that he had been to visit her, and he didn't want to tell them either, mostly because it had gone badly and they wouldn't help matters.

"Oh, I think I have something that might help," grinned Remus.

"Like what?" asked Sirius.

"Hmm..." thought Remus. "What if we somehow crashed into the inside of the Vanishing Closet, and then..."

"Ah, Moony, you wouldn't," groaned James.

"And _you've _lost your sense of adventure," Remus stuck his tongue out. "Come on, it'll be fun! We can see Florean, or steal something from Dervish... and I bet Sirius would like to beat the pulp out of Wormtail, we could find something that could make him wet his pants or make him embarrass himself in front of everybody. "

"Oh, yay!" Sirius said happily. "You just made my day better, Moony."

"No problem," Remus grinned.

"I don't that's a good idea," James bit his lip.

"Please, Prongs?" Sirius looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. "For me?"

"Okay, first off, I _told _you never to look at me like that again," James made a show of spitting on the floor. "And okay, it's actually been a while since we've done something like this. But... we're going to miss some of our classes..."

"Prongsie, you should really get away from Lily-Flower for at least a week, she's tampering with the fun side of your brain." Sirius grabbed his elbow and yanked him forwards. "Now we need to go find the Vanishing Closet, it might take ages."

"Fine," James said grumpily, allowing a grinning Sirius to steer him down the corridor, Remus at his heels. They climbed down the staircase and wandered around for a long time until they found the closet. A few minutes later, they were hightailing it out of Borgin and Burkes in their Muggle clothes, sprinting for their lives until they came to a halt in Diagon Alley, panting.

"That... was... awesome," breathed James.

"_Finally,"_said Sirius. "I've always wanted to go to Knockturn Alley,"

"Me too," said Remus.

"I already have," said James.

"When?" asked Sirius.

"Come on, don't tell me you don't remember," James rolled his eyes. "The time Lily took our Portkey and I had to go get her back?"

"Oh yeah," Remus smacked himself.

"It's almost lunchtime," Sirius grumbled. "Darn, I was really looking forward to it."

"So? We'll just go to Florean's and pig out," James shrugged. "But that comes later, I really want to see what new stuff Dervish has got delivered,"

"Make sure we get Wormtail a souvenir," Remus said as they walked down the alley.

"Oh, you have no idea," Sirius narrowed his eyes shrewdly. Peter was going to regret the day he abandoned his friends so badly, he would probably not be recovering full usage of his two legs for weeks. _Maybe both arms as well, _Sirius thought with a malicious grin.

_By then maybe Twat will forgive_ _me_.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm not going to be posting anything for a few weeks. It's like I have been writing NONSTOP for the past few months and I seriously need a break! So I'll try to get something up by the end of July, keep in touch. ;)**


	22. Good News

**Okay! So, I'm really sorry for the long wait, but I had my exams and it was hell... and I'll try to post whenever I can, but I can't say for sure. It might vary from one week to two or three, I really have no idea how much time I'll have. But don't go anywhere, or you can follow (I'd like that (:) if you think it'd be easier, and I'll probably get the next chapter up some time next week. **

**Thanks to all of you for reading :)**

* * *

Sirius threw open the doors to the store 'Dervish and Banges' and let out a strangled yell filled with longing. James followed shortly after, with a moment's hesitation. Remus just stared. Then they slowly grinned at each other, taking in the sights of hundreds of pranking objects piled high to the ceiling.

Suddenly, the elongated head of a cheery man in his thirties stuck out from behind several boxes of newly-arrived products. His pointed chin was covered with a thin beard and his mouth lay open with shocked surprise.

"Sirius?" he asked in astonishment.

"Dervish!"

"James!"

"Dervish!"

_"Remus?" _

"Dervish!"

"What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" Dervish adopted a cross expression. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"We are," James grinned.

"Well then, how did you…" he trailed off and shook his head. "I shouldn't even ask."

"You shouldn't," agreed Sirius.

"Okay, stop it with the two-word answers, it's annoying!" Dervish said in frustration. Sirius ignored him and walked over to one of the giant boxes.

"Watcha got there, Derv?" he asked.

"Much better," Dervish muttered under his breath, then stood up straight. "Check it out yourself, Padfoot, I have some work to do. Sorry."

"It's alright," winked Remus. "I guess that way it'd be easier to blow up your shop. Right, comrades?"

"Moony, you wouldn't!" Sirius said in mock disappointment, making an annoying impression of what James said right before they got there. Dervish tried to suppress a grin.

"I wouldn't expect lesser of you," he smiled and then disappeared.

"Hear that?" James wagged his eyebrows. He felt more like his old self than ever before. It was like he had spent so much time actually trying to impress Lily that it had brainwashed him, but not anymore. Like children, all three of them ran towards the boxes hungrily (Remus having more grace), and peered inside.

"_Pants? _Are you serious?" asked James, surprised.

"I'm insulted. After all this time, my best friend doesn't even know my name-" Sirius gave a fake sniff and James made a big show of punching him on the cheek. "Ouch."

Remus withdrew one of the long black pants from the box and held it in front of him. "What in Merlin's name-"

"Oh, you found those?"

It was Dervish.

"Just can't keep away from my irresistible beauty, can ya, Derv?" Sirius batted his eyelashes very annoyingly. "You dropped all your work for me, oh, what can I say-"

"Yeah, yeah," Dervish rolled his eyebrows. Though he wouldn't admit it, he missed the Marauders. They really were something else, and his shop was always very boring without them. "And I think you'll like 'em, those pants."

"What are they, Derv?" asked James.

Dervish's eyes gave a mysterious twinkle. He grabbed the pair of pants from Remus hands and ran the cloth over his palms. "They been bewitched, you see. No matter how hard you try to push them up they'll just keep falling down."

"I want one," said Sirius immediately. "It's for Wormtail," he added in a whisper in James' ear, after raised eyebrows from him and Remus.

"I heard that," said Dervish. "By the way, where _is _Peter? Thought he always hung out with you guys."

"He did, at least until he did something stupid. Being Wormtail, that's almost always, remember, Derv." said James.

"Ah well, how much?" asked Sirius.

"A real bargain, just seven sickles, and that's something seeing as it's just come in." he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Done," Sirius showered Dervish with coins and moved on to the next box. They continued to tamper with the products for a long while, Dervish happily joining in, and very soon the shop was a loud with dozens of unnatural noises sounding from all corners, and lights dazzling the passersby as Remus accidently let a rocket loose. They literally had to take cover under Dervish's table (the rocket blasted into twenty more) and Sirius actually burnt his bottom and set fire to one of the boxes. It was chaos, but _really fun _chaos. During this time, James bought five Whipping Goblets, a Grow-Your-Own-Ear-Hair kit (Although he assured him he wouldn't, he actually did plan to give it to Sirius), some Eatlasks [which looked like ordinary potion flasks but they were charmed to try and eat your nose when you weren't looking (Who knew, maybe he would give it to Snape! "_Fine addition to his face." _Sirius had remarked, when James had shared his idea)], and…. Well, the list was endless.

"Hey what's that?" Sirius pointed at a shelf near the ceiling. He actually had to shout it out, from the noise Remus was making while tinkering with some crazy objects.

"See for yourself, I'm busy," he called out impatiently. Sirius huffed, and then dragged a chair over, climbed on top of it, and seriously had to stand up on tiptoe to reach the thing he was aiming for.

"Hey, Derv!" Sirius bellowed, stepping down from the chair.

"Yeah?"

"What _is _this?"

"Oh, _those," _he certainly looked devilish when he said it. "Are you telling me you didn't find them the last time you were here? In the summer?"

"Obviously," Sirius rolled his eyes, handing a small bottle that he had retrieved to Dervish.

"It's a shampoo. It looks normal on the cover, see? That's deliberate, by the way."

"Yeah, so, what does it do?"

"Well basically, every time you use it, it gives your hair a different style. And the _catch is, _you can't change it for a week. So you'll be stuck with ridiculous hair for seven days, isn't that amazing?"

"It _is," _Sirius had a glint in his eye. "Wait, what do you mean, different style?"

"Oh, the usual," Dervish shrugged. "Afros, Mohawks… ooh, and my favorite, the one where you go half bald! And the colors change too. Sometimes it's purple, sometimes blue…"

"It works on girls?"

"Mate, it's especially _for _girls."

"I'm buying."

"Ten sickles."

"Here,"

"Hey Padfoot! Time we get out of here," Remus yelled from across the room. "It's almost lunchtime, and McGonagall needs our assignments in about half an hour."

"Minnie!" Sirius said in a mock lovestruck tone, making Dervish laugh. Casting Undetectable Expansion Charms on their bags, they stuffed all of their merchandise inside. But before they could step outside, Dervish called them back.

"Wait," he sounded frustrated. "And look around the shop for a minute. See anything different?"

"No," replied James, puzzled.

"IT'S HALF EMPTY!" he hollered, and everyone jumped, Remus actually spilling the contents of his bag all over the pavement and running around frantically trying to pick them all up. "YOU BUFFOONS BOUGHT _HALF _THE THINGS IN MY SHOP, YOU HEAR ME? _HALF! _NOW YOU WISE GUYS TELL ME HOW ON EARTH I'M GOING TO REPLENISH MY STOCK WITH _HALF _THE THINGS GONE! I ONLY GOT MY LAST ORDER _TWO DAYS AGO, _AND YOU INSOLENT- CHEEKY- DON'T LAUGH AT ME, SIRIUS BLACK!"

But Sirius couldn't help it. He laughed until he could laugh no more, partly at Remus who was running around like a loose chicken and partly at Dervish's hilarious speech. Wiping a tear from his eye, he said, "Well, look at it this way, Derv. With the money you got from us today, you probably _won't need _to sell anything else for… five months, maybe?"

And with that, they left the shop (Remus having, thankfully, stuffed all the things back into his bag), leaving a grumbling, yet amused, Dervish to take care of his depleted products.

"I can't believe you got those pants for Wormtail," Remus shook his head. "Why can't you just give him a break, Sirius?"

"Fine!" Sirius threw his hands in the air. "Since you and Prongs have _both _been pestering me, I'll forgive him _after _he wears the pants. Good enough for you?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," James said in an offhand way, looking a bit impatient to say something. "But listen. How do you guys propose we get back in Borgin and Burke's, _with Borgin watching the place like a hawk since our miraculous escapade three hours ago?"_

Remus gave a loud groan. "Aargh!" he stamped his feet, acting very childish indeed. "You're right! There's no way! It's going to be a death sentence-"

"Relax, Moony," said Sirius. "The Marauders always have a way. Plus, right now, we're the Marauders who have three bags full of pranking material, Borgin's not going to escape alive."

"I'm with him," James smiled. Remus sighed, and made a small movement for them to lead the way, before giving in and walking forward himself. James and Sirius winked at each other before following after Remus with a spring in their step.

And all the way, Sirius was busy thinking how much Phillipa would like the shampoo once he gave it to her.

* * *

James was crouched in front of the doorknob to the Heads' dorm, approximately ten minutes after Quidditch practice that evening. He thanked his lucky stars that Lily had not discovered where he had gone that morning, and even more so that she didn't even ask. He whispered the password and pushed open the door, almost laughing as he saw how Lily was sitting.

She was sitting cross-legged with a sharp newspaper pulled up to her nose, only the curve of her red head poking out from above it. Hearing the door close, she dropped the paper a bit so that one piercing green eye looked out from over it.

"You know that grin looks abnormally like the Cheshire Cat's," she said loudly.

"What's the Cheshire Cat?"

"Forget it," she sighed. "Merlin- _What's so funny?"_

"No, it's just-" he collapsed on the sofa right next to her. "You look exactly like my mum,"

"I _what?"_

"No! I mean, she sits the exact same way," he chuckled. "It just looked strange,"

"Oh, I think I get it," she put the newspaper down, crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes. "You like me because I'm like your mum! Yeurgh, how embarrassing,"

James raised an eyebrow. "Yuck, you _really _think- yuck!"

Lily giggled and patted him on the leg. "Relax, I was kidding."

"Good."

"Good."

"You know, speaking of…" he trailed off. "My parents want to meet you."

"Really?"

"Well obviously, the girl I've been talking about for the past six years is finally my girlfriend, of course they want to meet you! Well, 'want' is kind of an understatement…"

"_Talking about for the past six years?" _she asked.

"I- um," he turned red, and she laughed.

"Whatever," she said. "You have no idea how much I've been talking about you for the past six years,"

"Really?" he sounded hopeful.

"Ahem, I _hated you, _remember?"

"Oh right,"

"Anyway, I need you to come to Petunia's wedding with me too. This Christmas."

"Wh- What?" he gulped.

"Come on!" she pleaded. "Tuney didn't want me to come, but Mum kind of made me promise anyway… and I simply _can't _handle that hog Vernon all by myself, could you give me company? Please?" she added. "Tuney wouldn't let Hest come, she hates her… but I'm sure she'll let you!"

"And why would she let me?" he asked, curious.

"Because there's no chance of any other hot guys showing up,"

He laughed. "Oh okay, fine," he rolled his eyes and she smiled childishly.

"Thanks,"

"And what's with the paper?" he grabbed _The Daily Prophet _and leafed through it.

"Oh," she said. "Well, ever since Alice's mum and Hestia's parents…" she trailed off, blinking once and then continuing. "I've been ordering the Prophet to see if anyone else's…"

James groaned. "You didn't have to do that, Lils," he said. "You'll just make yourself feel worse to see whether anyone else has died."

"I know!" she said in impatience. "But I like to keep up with the news. Especially since Voldemort's out there, anything can happen."

"Well, good thing nothing's happened today," he put the paper down. "Other than Jackson Fisher's niffler running loose."

"Yipes, that niffler will be the death of everybody," she bit her lip.

"Oh, so you're worried about a _niffler _now?" he asked incredulously. "After all that?"

She nudged his leg sharply. "Shut up," she said playfully. "Nifflers can be really… troublesome."

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm betting your hair's going to go grey by the time you're thirty."

"Just because _you_ don't give a crap about anything,"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Let me rephrase: Just because you don't give a crap about anything _other _than your broomstick,"

"Okay, you got me..."

"Well, I'm smart."

They bickered for a long while during which both of them tried not to smile, and at last, Lily sighed.

"Okay, that's it, I'm getting tired of this." She said and James smirked.

"Oh, liven up," he said, before leaning in and kissing her.

"EWW!"

Both of them jumped at the sound and began looking around wildly for the source, before the voice spoke again.

"Lily! James! I'm only seven, you can't _torment _my eyes when I'm only seven!"

The very next spot Lily looked was straight into the fire. James followed her eyes and peered in as well.

"Evie?" he half-asked and half-stated in surprise.

"Hey, Big Brother, next time could you _please _get a room or something? And lock it, don't forget."

"You know, I'm starting to think this sofa is cursed," Lily said thoughtfully. "First it was Hestia, and now Evie…"

"Wait…" you two know each other?" James asked, puzzled. Both Evie's and Lily's cheeks turned bright red.

"Maybe," they said in unison. James snorted.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Look, I was just bored to death, and needed people to talk to!" Evie explained. "And Lily replied, and then we sort of… hit it off."

"Can't blame me, Evie was bored," said Lily, shrugging her shoulders.

"And _how, _may I ask, did I not know about this?" he asked.

"Because… we didn't tell you?" Evie's statement turned into a question of doubt.

"Hmmph, okay," he said. "Whatever, at least now I don't have to introduce you."

"You're not angry?" asked Lily hopefully.

"Nope."

"Oh, thank Merlin," she sighed with relief. "We've got enough angry people to deal with."

"Who's angry?" Evie piped up.

"Hestia's angry at Phillipa and Sirius, Sirius is angry at Peter, Phillipa's angry at Hestia, and _I, _as usual, am angry at everybody. Almost."

This was when James pouted.

"Not you!" she assured, and he gave a foolish grin.

"That sounds terrible," Evie said sadly. "Who's Phillipa, by the way? Neither of you mentioned her."

"Let's just say she's an idiot." Nodded James.

"Fair enough," said Evie.

"Anyway, how long were you sitting in that fire?" Lily asked curiously.

"Oh. Not long," shrugged Evie. "Just since the both of you had that utterly _pointless _argument about nifflers. Boy, was that fun to watch."

"People have pointless arguments, Evie," said Lily, and Evie winked.

"Why are you here in the first place?" asked James. "I mean, just to visit, or-"

"No, actually. I had a question." Evie said, as if she had suddenly remembered something.

"What is it?" asked Lily.

"It's just that I've noticed…" she trailed off. "I've noticed Auntie and Uncle for the past months. I mean, ever since I came to live at your house, James."

"And?" James beckoned her to continue, feeling as if an icicle had stabbed his chest or something. He hoped she wasn't going where he thought she was going. He exchanged a furtive glance with Lily and knew at once that she was thinking the exact same thing he was. _Good thing she's only seven._

"Well, whenever I mention Mum and Dad they go really white and silent and don't say anything." She furrowed her thin eyebrows. "Are they not telling me something? Ha, look! James, Lily! You're doing the same thing! Now I _know _there's something wrong. Spill."

"There's nothing," said James in what he hoped was a reassuring voice.

"Are you sure?" Evie narrowed her eyes. "Because it's been more than three months… no mission I know has ever lasted for three months! And believe me, I know a lot of missions." Her voice dropped. "I miss them."

Both James and Lily felt like crying. Evie's expression was so pitiful that James felt like a disgrace for keeping it from her. A big, fat, stinking disgrace.

"I'm sure they're fine," Lily gave a small smile.

"Okay, but-" Evie's voice stopped midway, and her head swiveled around, so fast that it hit the wall of the fireplace and she yelled, "OW! NO, AUNTIE, NO!I JUST USED THE FLOO POWDER, I'M _NOT _TRYING TO BURN MYSELF! OW OW OW!" she gave a long pause and then relaxed, and with great difficulty, faced Lily and James again.

"That was Auntie Carrie pulling my legs," she explained.

"Ouch, you okay?" Lily winced.

"Been better," she mumbled. "Anyway! Lily, come to our house this Christmas! I've already got you a present, and Uncle's going crazy about meeting you!"

"No problem," Lily winked.

"Yay!" Evie squealed. "And don't worry, it isn't a chessboard, I'm sure you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will."

"Aah, Auntie, _will you stop that?" _Evie yelled suddenly over her nonexistent shoulder. "Listen to Uncle! This is fun, let me stay here for a _bit _more! Wait, what? Uncle's not stupid! Okay. Okay, I'm coming." She turned back and grinned.

"Well, at least Uncle's encouraging."

"When's he not?" James asked.

"Okay then, I'll see you at Christmas! Don't miss it!" she gave a cheery smile and withdrew her head from the fire.

"Wasn't that eventful?" Lily asked after a second, and James nodded.

"She was lying. He got you a chessboard. Definitely." He grinned.

"Evie never lies," she rested her case. "Anyway, wait till you see what I've got you!"

"_When _did you get something for me? You never had the time!"

"Um…" she blushed. "That day in Hogsmeade? I did it then. For some reason. Don't laugh."

"I'm not," he said, laughing the whole time. She crossed her eyebrows. "So… I got something for you too."

"Huh. _Really?" _she said sarcastically.

"Wait for Christmas, it's going to be a blast," he said assuredly. "Evie always goes crazy on Christmas, wait and see."

"Ooh, the suspense," she said, a bit too eagerly.

He rolled his eyes before saying, "Come on, we're late for dinner."

"Isn't that a good thing?" she stood up. "Now we don't have to see Sirius stuff himself."

"Hmm," he shrugged. "I guess you're right."

"I am."

* * *

Mary MacDonald lifted her head from her hands and looked into the bathroom mirror. She was very much aware of her disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes and glistening cheeks. She sniffed once before breaking into sobs once more. She had not gone for classes the entire day and had been stuck in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom (without Moaning Myrtle there, of course), crying. Occasionally puking. She couldn't believe she had not eaten for more than twenty-four hours. She was tired, and unnaturally hungry.

She glanced at her watch and noticed that she was late for patrols. With Amos Diggory. Just great. She had to break the news as quick as possible.

Trying to flatten her hair as best she could and combing through it with her fingers, she wiped her face on her sleeve and prepared to depart.

After one last look in the mirror, she braced herself and stepped outside, continuing her nervous strides until she reached the third-floor corridor. Amos was waiting for her. He grinned.

"There's my girl," he winked. "Why did you come so late?"

"No reason," she said quietly.

"Hmm," they walked along the corridor, occasionally throwing open a broom closet to extract some late-night stragglers. And all the while Mary's stomach grew ever more numb and twisty.

"Amos, I think we made a mistake," she said finally.

"It wasn't a mistake," he looked at her like she was crazy.

"No, you don't understand," she gulped.

"Understand what?"

"I think- I think I'm pregnant,"

He didn't say anything.

* * *

Several things happened the following morning:

It all started with a totally unsuspecting, smiling Phillipa entering the hall. Smiling because she was happy that Sirius gave her a present in return, in more or less the same sort of box. And unsuspecting because she had no idea that, ever since she had washed her hair the previous evening, it had turned a hideous marsh green color and had stuck up (like suppose you hand upside down and look in the mirror). The moment she entered the hall a lot of people actually fainted (she didn't mind this, it happened all the time), but she grew suspicious when many girls around the hall began to point at her face and laugh openly. She narrowed her eyes. _No one _laughed at her and lived to tell the tale.

"Hey!" she called to a girl named Anna, who was busy whispering in her friend's ear. Her head snapped towards Phillipa. "Are you _laughing _at me? No one _laughs _at me!"

"Darling, you'd think otherwise if you saw your hair right now," Anna said boldly.

"Saw…?" Phillipa drew her wand in curiosity but Anna's friend got there first. With one wave of her wand, she conjured up a thin layer of a mirror right in front of Phillipa's face. Phillipa stared at it for about two seconds, before she screamed. It was a shrill, ear-piercing scream which reverberated off all four walls of the hall, and made all talk cease to exist.

As soon as her scream died in her mouth, she blinked back tears of anger and dashed out of the large oaken doors. A bit _too _fast for a normal human being. Far across the room, Sirius, James, and Remus erupted into such hoots of laughter that their voices actually were louder than Phillipa's. Slowly, people joined in the laughter and within minutes the hall was buzzing with talk once more.

And all the while Sirius' gaze darted across the Gryffindor table looking for Hestia, and what she would think of his prank, but his heart sank when he realized she was still in the Hospital Wing.

"You were behind this," Lily said shrewdly, looking at all of them in turn. "I can tell."

"Nope, it was all Sirius," Remus said, and Sirius puffed out his chest in pride. Lily would have given him a good spanking but was too busy rolling in Phillipa's downfall to care.

"Really?" she raised her eyebrows, impressed. The Marauders didn't expect it. "That's good, Filled-With-Crap Phillipa deserved it."

That's when Peter walked into the Hall. The Marauders immediately looked at him as if suspecting something, and Lily rolled her eyes.

No sooner did Peter go three steps did his pants fall down, revealing grey boxers with pictures of 'The Weird Sisters' all over them. The noise in the hall was incredible. Going so red in the face that it looked as if he was about to pee his pants, Peter scrambled for the hem and pulled them up, only to have them fall down again. Most people really fell off their seats and couldn't get back up for laughing. Utterly embarrassed, Peter scuttled out of the hall after Phillipa, jeers following him all the way.

"That was you again, wasn't it?" Lily looked irritated now.

"Oh get a grip, Lil, you can't admit it wasn't funny!" Alice held her shoulder.

"S-Sirius, y-you said-" Remus wiped a cheerful tear from his eye and cleared his throat. "You said you were going to give Peter a break."

"I guess I did," Sirius stretched his arms out behind his head. "Ah well, look at it this way- all the Marauders together, just like old times."

"Yeah," said Remus. James was still laughing.

"Oh shut up and stop laughing, James! Seriously, you're making me laugh too," Lily giggled, but James laughed all the harder. They couldn't stop for a few minutes on the go, and just when it seemed their hearts ran out they clutched their sides in pain.

"Ow," said James, getting a hold of himself. "My sides hurt."

"Mine too," agreed Lily.

"Just look at them," Sirius sighed dreamily to Remus. "What soulmates. Their sides hurt together, Moony, what does that tell you?" this just made everyone laugh even more, at least until McGonall came up to them and began tapping her foot on the ground impatiently.

"All right, dream team! Listen up," she said loudly, and their talk ceased as she began to speak."I'm taking the names of people staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. Potter?"

"Nope."

"Miss Prewett?"

"No… maybe… no, I don't think so."

"Yes or no, Miss Prewett?"

"_No,"_

_"_All right… Black?"

"My dear Minerva," Sirius sighed and closed McGonagall's hand in his own. She looked puzzled. "My love. I would rather scorch my lungs in lava than part with you. I did not wish to leave you, but… I'm afraid my duties lie elsewhere, please und-"

"Lupin!" McGonagall cut Sirius off. He gave her a mock look of hurtfulness.

"I had a whole speech prepared, you know!" he said grumpily, and James patted him on the back sympathetically.

"No," Remus said in answer to McGonagall's question.

"Longbottom?"

"No."

"Good Heavens, if all of you are just going to say no, you could have told me before!" McGonagall said, annoyed. "And save me from wasting my time with you!"

"Well I guess I'm not going either," Lily grinned, and McGonagall huffed in frustration before turning around and trotting away.

"So… Evie's going big on Christmas again?" asked Remus.

"Oh yeah," James answered. "She sent me a letter saying what she got while she was in Diagon Alley."

"Ooh, I can't wait!" Sirius said eagerly.

"Because Evie's like your partner in crime, right?" said Remus.

"Hey!" James said in disappointment. "I'm supposed to be his partner in crime!"

"No offense, Prongs, but the raining rats in your room this summer? That was all me and Evie," Sirius confessed.

"Raining rats? That's disgusting!" Lily made a face.

"You told me Addie and Archie did all that!" James said, flabbergasted.

"Who's Addie? And Archie?" she asked curiously.

"My house elves."

"Your _house-"_

"That's not the point!" James faced a mock-abashed Sirius again. "I can't believe you guys did that to me! Do you know _how long _it took for me to get rid of those… those…" he gulped, as if trying to hold back vomit or something.

"Have no fear, I'll be there to protect your darling room this Christmas," Lily said both sarcastically, and heroically at the same time. James stuck his tongue out at her.

"Flower's coming too?" Sirius pouted. "No, Prongs, she'll ruin everything!"

"Very polite, Sirius," said Lily.

"I'm not talking to you any more, traitor," James pretended to act offended.

"Leave the poor guy alone, Padfoot, he needs Lily to guard him for heaven's sake, what a pansy." Remus said.

"Humph," James said. "I'll have you know-"

"Okay, that's it, I'm getting out of here," Lily stood up, beckoning for Alice to follow. Her. "Come on, Alice, let's go see Hestia."

The Marauders paid no attention as Lily and Alice left the room, and continued bickering. The girls cast a dark look behind them.

"How do you put up with those guys Lil?" Alice voiced her thoughts.

"I honestly have no idea," Lily admitted.

They climbed the stairs all the way to the fourth floor, and threw open the giant doors to the Hospital Wing, and immediately saw an annoyed Hestia sitting cross- armed on the bed in the corner. Her head snapped over to the door as soon as it opened and her mouth stretched into a smile so grateful that she might have been burning alive and had just seen water.

"Five minutes, girls. No more." Madam Pomfrey bustled over to the table, walking right past them. Lily and Alice ignored her and grinned back at Hestia.

"Say something positive, okay?" Alice muttered under her breath, directing her question at Lily.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered."

"Merlin, Lily, Alice, I've been dying here, Miss Popped-In-The-Head won't even let me _step out _of this bed," groaned Hestia.

"No matter, we've got good news," Lily said, she and Alice each sitting on one bedside.

"What is it?" Hestia asked eagerly.

"Guess what happened to Little Phil this morning," she said, and Alice caught on with a grin.

"Please tell me the Giant Squid kidnapped her,"

"No, although that would be cool," Alice said dreamily.

"What could possibly be worse than that, Petal?"

"She walked into the Great Hall this morning with green hair that looked like it had been blown out of her face."

"Okay, that _is _worse," Hestia said, and then started to laugh uncontrollably for the next minute, after which she got a hold of herself and cleared her throat. "Ahem. How?"

"From a shampoo," replied Alice.

"Given to her by the one and only Sirius Black," Lily smiled.

"Really?" Hestia was silent for a second.

"Good news, huh?"

"Oh, yeah,"

Hestia couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

**LET ME GET ONE THING STRAIGHT.**

**Let's just assume Amos and Mary fall in love, get married, have a wonderful child named Cedric, and live happily ever after. Well, at least until he dies...**

**Anyway, my POINT IS, that I hate them so much that I'd rather not mention them again any time in the rest of my life, unless absolutely necessary. Hallelujah. Now that I've finally got that over with. And I knew that I had to make that happen because, right after I started writing, I realized that since Cedric is three years elder to Harry, he had to be born in their seventh year. Well of course I was downright bummed, and didn't know what to do, but now it's finally OVER. **

**So in the next chapter I'm starting with the Christmas vacations, don't miss it :)**


	23. I Now Pronounce You Butterball and Wife

**Okay guys, you have no idea how sorry I am for not posting... But there's a lot going on right now which I need to deal with, so just stay with me please! I promise that I'll try to write faster, but there's no saying when I'll have the next chapter up. (There is going to be a next chapter, by the way, and probably a lot more) Hope you like this one though, it was a lot of fun to write :)**

* * *

_About a week later…_

"RISE AND SHINE, CHUMS!" James yelled at the top of his lungs, and was at once greeted with likewise yells, if at all somewhat more angry.

"Go away, Prongs!" Sirius' muffled voice came from behind his bed hangings.

"It's the first day of vacation! Like hell I'm going away!" he pulled apart the hangings of each bed and the window curtains as well, so a bright light streamed forth and all of them grumbled.

"What's going on?" Frank asked.

"Oops!" James ran over to Frank's bed and shut the hangings. "Not you. Go back to sleep, Frank, we don't need you."

"Ouch, that's kind of rude, Prongs," Remus sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Say what?" said Frank groggily. James rolled his eyes and practically jumped on Remus' bed.

"Hooray, you're up! Come on, Moony, we've got lots of things to do today!"

"_No," _Remus moaned, flopping back down and closing his eyes. James frowned.

"Thought you'd say that, that's why I made it a point to hide all of your chocolates this morning."

"AAH!" Remus sat up with a jolt and ran like a wild bull throwing all of his cupboards open, trying to look for his chocolate.

"STOP YELLING!" Sirius bellowed.

"IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF VACATION, PADFOOT, NOW WAKE UP!" James yelled back.

"WHAT'S THE BLOODY TIME?" Sirius asked.

"_WHERE'S MY CHOCOLATE?"_

"SEVEN A.M.!"

"PRONGS. I. WILL. KILL. YOU!" screamed Sirius.

"MY CHOCOLATE!"

"_COULD YOU GUYS STOP BLOODY YELLING?" _Peter climbed out of bed.

"_WHAT'S GOING ON?!" _Lily's voice surpassed all others as she entered the boy's dorm. They all fell silent at her arrival.

"It's all Prongs' fault!" Sirius whined.

"It's okay, I got this," she muttered in James ear. "All right, listen up, spuds! You either get your lousy butts out of bed, or it's _your _bags Frank's cat is going to be crapping in!"

The effect of her statement was incredible. In no less than three seconds, the boys were on their feet (Remus finally having found his chocolate, and having hugged it tight to his chest), Sirius having folded his arms with no sight of Frank's cat being around.

"You lied, Lily-Flower! Catimonicus isn't here!"

"And I thought you weren't the sort of person who gets up in the morning," Peter challenged.

"Well yes, but this ignoramus came into my room and started acting quite crazy, so I kind of had to,"

"What's an ignoramus?" Sirius asked eagerly. "Sounds _evil," _Lily rolled her eyes.

"In your language, it means blockhead, Sirius," Remus called over his shoulder while occasionally placing folded clothes neatly into his bag. Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.

"Who wants food?" Lily asked. It was the bomb.

"I DO!" Sirius drooled.

"Fine, but first you pack your bags and everything, then we'll go down for breakfast together," Lily smiled. "Me and James are already done, and I just went to check on Alice and Hestia, they're done too."

"Oh okay," Sirius disappeared over the left side curtain.

"Why aren't we taking trunks?" asked Peter.

"Try apparating with a trunk weighing you down, ignoramus," Sirius said.

"Oh, I didn't think of that," Peter shrugged.

"Uh-oh," Lily exclaimed.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"How many of us can apparate?"

"We thought _you _could, Lily-Flower! Being so smart and all,"

"I'm now seventeen yet, Sirius,"

"Does that mean none of us can?" asked James.

"Well, I'm seventeen, but I haven't taken my test yet," informed Remus.

"Well I guess that just saves our lives, doesn't it, Moony?" Peter rolled his eyes.

"Okay," Lily held her hands up. "Okay, I guess we'll just have to go by Floo from McGonagall's office, then,"

"I'm not excited anymore," James slouched.

"Is now a bad time to tell you Petunia's wedding is tomorrow?" Lily bit her lip.

"_What?" _James' eyes grew wide. "Are you telling me-"

"That you have to meet my mum today, yes."

"Would you believe it if I told you I'm suffering stage one spattergroit?" James said feebly.

"Oh man up, James," she smacked his shoulder.

"Yeah, man up, Prongs," Sirius folded his arms. "Look at it this way, she'll just be a really older version of Lily!"

"Kill me now," he buried his face in his arms.

"Oh just shut up, they'll love you," Lily said.

"Sure they will, he's a bloody smoothie! Bet you anything he could charm the spots off a leopard! Stop acting like such a baby," Remus said loudly.

"Okay I'm ready, when are we leaving?" Peter emerged, carrying a large rucksack.

"Merlin, we're late already, I told mum we'll be there by nine," Lily looked at her watch.

"Nine?"

"Tuney's coming for lunch, and I told Mum I'd help with the cooking!"

"Urgh," James' voice was barely audible. "This couldn't get any worse."

* * *

"Aah, finally," McGonagall looked up from her papers to see the seventh-years standing in the doorway. "Fourteen days without you nuisances tripping over your own heels is good enough, get over here,"

"We don't _trip over our own heels," _James muttered.

"Miss Jones?" beckoned McGonagall. "Grab some powder. Where do you wish to go?"

"Mu, er- grandmother's house,"

"Alright, get going!"

Hestia threw a brief look in Sirius' direction before opening her mouth wide, but before she could step into the fire, she was stopped by a big hug by Lily.

"By Hest, I'll miss you," she said.

"Bye, Petal," Hestia grinned, hugging her back.

"See you at James' house day after," Lily whispered, and then withdrew from the embrace. Winking at Hestia's surprised face, she gestured for her to continue. Throwing a puzzled look in Lily's direction, Hestia threw the powder into the fire and walked through it, McGonagall calling the nest person. Within five minutes, Peter had gone to his parents', Alice to her father's, and Sirius and Remus were getting ready to leave as well.

"And where are you two going?" asked McGonagall.

"Sirius's cousin's," replied Remus. "He hasn't gone to his parent's in years,"

"To meet… Nymphadora," Lily stifled a giggle, and McGonagall's mouth twitched in a smile.

"Very well," she said. "Goodbye, Lupin. Have a good vacation. And… good riddance to you, Black,"

Lily, James, and Remus laughed while Sirius gave McGonagall a beaming smile.

"Aw, thanks, dearest," he kissed McGonagall on both cheeks and literally dived into the green fire. She looked flustered as Remus followed, and shook her head.

"Miss Evans, and you?"

"Well, James and I are going over to my mother's,"

"Ah, that's going to be a problem, it's a muggle house, isn't it?" McGonagall was lost in thought.

"Yes,"

"All right, then we won't be able to access it. How about you go to a wizarding house near there, and then walk to your house? Will that be acceptable, Miss Evans?"

"Of course, Professor,"

"All right, get ready," McGonagall took some powder in her hand. "Oh and Potter, may good fortune be with you. I've heard the Evans' are a very nasty lot," she said apologetically.

"What?" James' fright echoed in his voice and McGonagall quietly winked at Lily. Grinning back, Lily got ready to take the step, and McGonagall yelled.

"Spinner's End!" she said, throwing the powder into the file. Lily's eyes grew wide but before she could say anything McGonagall already pushed her forward, and she toppled into the fireplace. Gulping, James followed, his mind vibrating with fear as he thought. _How dead am I? _not knowing at that very moment, Lily was nervously walking her way through his nemesis Severus Snape's house.

* * *

After a minute or two of uncomfortable whirling, James lifted his head to find himself face-down on a cold, dirty stone floor. Unable to see, he rubbed soot from his glasses and stood up, unfortunately turning around, immediately coming face to face with the most frightening mantelpiece anyone had ever seen.

He turned around again, unable to face the scary figure again, and did not like what he saw. It looked like the floor had not been swept in years, and even on rubbing it several times the stone underneath wouldn't be visible. The closet in the corner had cobwebs all over, the dusty couch torn apart in a couple of places, and the coffee table in front of him had a bowl full of algae kept in water.

However there were things to confirm that it was a wizarding house. For one thing, James was sure the carpet wasn't crawling over with beetles, and the tile beside him wasn't sprouting a skeleton. The curtains were closed and the only source of light were the lanterns hanging at several spots, which gave the neglected room an eerie appearance.

"Tobias!" shouted a shrill voice, and James jump, scared out of his wits. The voice seemed to be coming nearer…

"What is your problem, woman?!" another voice boomed out.

"Severus was supposed to have washed the dishes! You're responsible! Now come out of your dirty little hole and find him!"

James could see a shadow coming up around the doorway, and gulped. Severus as in Severus Snape. Obviously. Boy, was he in trouble.

"Psst! James!"

He swiveled around and found Lily poking her head through the closet he had noticed earlier. His mind not running fast enough for questions, he ran over to the open closet door and, squeezing himself in, shut it behind him. Not a second too soon, it seemed; the woman had just entered the room and was busy doing god knows what. Trying not to cough, he pushed himself up against the rough, wooden wall, trying to give himself more space. The closet was extremely cramped and Lily had to bed a bit to get herself to fit.

"What in Merlin's name-" James croaked in a whisper, trying his hardest not to cough. Lily, it seemed, was doing the same thing.

"Did I mention Snape lives close to me?" she said quietly.

"Maybe once, if it weren't so obvious," he managed to roll his eyes. To get in a more comfortable position, he yanked his hand upwards and slipped it around Lily's shoulders. "Ah, that's better,"

"We have to get out of here," she bit her lip, waiting for the loud footsteps and shouts to subside.

"Oh I don't know, I'm fine where we are," he smirked, and she would have slapped him had they not been in such a confined space that she couldn't even move a finger.

"Shut up!" she said, a bit too loudly. They heard the previously vibrating house drop to a dead silence, and footsteps approach.

"I'm here, Mother," came a bored drawl from the other side of the room, undoubtedly Snape's.

"Right, the dishes aren't going to do themselves! Get over there!"

The voices abated and when the coast seemed clear, Lily pushed the door open the both of them toppled out, their cheeks pressed against the carpet. Not being able to hold it in anymore, they coughed until it seemed like their lungs had worn out, and then, wiping tears from their eyes, they stood up and stretched a bit, to ease themselves from their time in the closet.

"Alright, let's go," said Lily and without waiting for a reply, she walked through the doorway, James at her heels. Within minutes, they had escaped the degrading house and were trotting down the road to Spinner's End, thoroughly glad of their elusiveness.

"That was unfortunate," James said finally, and Lily gave a hollow laugh.

"Yeah, when McGonagall said 'Spinner's End' I almost fainted,"

"Although the time in the closet was worth savoring," he joked, and Lily took her chance to slap him across the back.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or just hit you again."

They walked down the road for a while, occasional cars passing by wildly. The snow was raining down on their tightened cloaks, and they had to bend their heads down to walk against the wind. Nothing within two hundred yards was not white, except maybe the walls of the houses. Finally, they stopped in front of a cozy-looking house with a white picket fence enclosing its bare lawn. The black roof was blanketed with snow, and the bushes lining the fence were dead and drooping.

"Here we are, this is my house," Lily said, and James' pink face turned white almost immediately.

"N-Nice house," he gulped.

"Oh, come on already," she pushed open the fence and he was forced to follow, the snow slowing his progress. A light-blue mailbox with 'Evans'' marked across it stood out through the snow.

"You know, if it weren't your mum I'd be fine," he said as the ascended the porch.

"Then it isn't," Lily rand the doorbell. "Just think it isn't my mum. It's just another normal muggle house."

"Okay," said James as the door swung open. A woman who looked remarkably like Lily emerged, flashing a smile so wide that it hurt James' eyes to watch. Her auburn hair flying, she pulled Lily into a tight embrace as Lily gasped 'Mum!"

"Oh Lily Lily Lily thank goodness you're home Vernon's driving me crazy and I'm so sorry I haven't been sending you letters I'll try to be a better mother and no one's ever home anymore ever since my baby girl went to Hogwarts and Petunia's always out it's so lonely and I'm glad you're back!" Mrs. Evans said in one go, taking a huge breath before letting Lily out of the hug. Lily ran a hand nervously through her hair and James grinned automatically. _I'm starting to rub off on her. _

"Good God, I swear you're growing taller every second, you were so small three months ago!" she said, grabbing Lily's shoulder and holding her at arm's length.

"Mum, I was the same 5.5 as I was," Lily sighed. Her mother clucked her tongue.

"No, I can swear…" she trailed off, before her eyes darted to James, who was standing right beside her. Her eyes widened, not having noticed him till then. "Oh, who's this? You didn't mention you were bringing anyone, Lilybear!"

"Really?" James gave her a fortifying glance as if to say '_You didn't?', _and she blushed.

"Mum, this is my… my… this is…" she stuttered, and James tried not to laugh. If Lily was nervous in front of her own mother, what reason did he have to be?

"James Potter, nice to meet you," he held his hand out which was bewilderingly shaken by Mrs. Evans.

"So _this _is the infamous James Potter?" she asked Lily, who turned even redder.

"Infamous?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Oh yes," Mrs. Evans said. "Comes home blabbering about you every vacation, ever since she was eleven. Used to go on all day about 'that James Potter', had to dunk her head in a bucket of water to make her stop."

"I always knew you loved me from the beginning, Lil," he winked at her, and felt it was not possible to go even go a deeper red than Lily's cheeks at the moment.

"Shut up," she mumbled, and Jasmine chuckled.

"Jasmine Evans, call me Jasmine," she said. "And I understand you're dating my daughter?"

"She's psychic," James said in a loud whisper, directing it at Lily, who rolled her eyes. Jasmine laughed again.

"It's happened five times since my ancient grandmothers," she said. " Acting stone cold towards someone your whole life and the next thing you know you're married with two daughters. Anyway, come in, the both of you! It's freezing cold outside." She beckoned them inside and they obeyed, wiping their boots on the carpet and stepping inside. Removing their cloaks, they handed them to Jasmine and sighed in the warmth of the house.

"James, you can take the guest room. Although it may be a little dusty…" she placed the cloaks on the rack beside the door.

"That's no problem, turns out house elves never come to the Heads' Dorm so I'm kind of used to it." James marveled at the ordinary muggle objects, widening his eyes at the most normal of things.

"Of course they do, I just tell them not to do your room," Lily winked and he looked hurt.

"Gee, well that's fair," he said and Jasmine smiled.

"All right then, come with me, I'll show you your room and you can put your bags to the rest they need," she said, and James and Lily followed her up the stairs and into the first room on the right.

"Like it?"

James walked into the room, and knew he liked it. Everything spoke of muggles. He dropped his bag on the bed and a cloud of dust rose from it.

"Very much, thanks, Jasmine,"

"You're welcome. Anyway, Lily! Petunia and Vernon are going to be here at one, so we've got to prepare lunch." Jasmine rolled her eyes when she said 'Vernon', and James grinned.

"Well of course, Vernon _does _need four hours of preparation before he eats." Lily snorted and Jasmine, though amused, looked stern.

"Stop it Lily, he's a guest. And we have to be hospitable," she said. "Now hurry up, vegetables are waiting."

"Muggle cooking! Wow, how's that done?" James piped up curiously.

"If you want, you can cut up the vegetables for me," said an eager Lily.

"Well if you would help, that would be really appreciated, James." Jasmine smiled, and he nodded.

"Anytime."

"Come on, then," Jasmine strolled down the stairs, Lily at her heel.

* * *

It was a while before James could find decent muggle clothes to wear. He had first come down in a really funky sort of thing, which Lily and Jasmine had a hearty laugh on, after which Lily tried to personally choose an outfit for him. After she couldn't find any, she changed colors of a few of the shirts and after a while, James returned wearing a light blue polo shirt and jeans at which Jasmine deliberately 'Ooohed'.

"I think my mum's in love with you," Lily threw a dirty look at James and he shrugged.

"Love you too, Jazz," he winked, and her mother actually blushed.

"Okay, that does it," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Jealous much?" James wagged his eyebrows at her.

"You wish," she snorted. "Okay, maybe a bit…" she looked at him and blushed deeply.

"I'm too sexy for you, aren't I?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Here comes the old James Potter," Lily snorted but didn't stop blushing. He grinned.

"_That's _why you told me to wear this!" he exclaimed. "Hey Jazz, do I look sexy to you?"

"Oh for the love of Merlin James, stop calling her Jazz!"

"Come on, Lil, no one calls me Jazz anymore! It feels good," Jasmine snuggled herself into the couch and twirled her hair.

"Mum, are you dating him or am I?" Lily demanded. James shook his head and plopped down onto the sofa, an amused look on his face.

"You know, I never get tired of this," he grinned. "Women fighting over me,"

"You're despicable," said Lily.

"Oh, quiet down," said Jasmine. "And Lil, go get changed, they'll be coming any minute," Lily sighed in frustration and, giving James one last look of loathing, she darted up the staircase. Jasmine and James had to wait a whole fifteen minutes before she came down again, at which moment James was lost for words, his voice caught in his throat in awe.

Lily was wearing a blood-red dress which came to just above her knees and had frills towards the bottom. Her hair flowed down her shoulders and a few strands were taken back and put into place with a clip. It was the simplest dress in the world, but James thought she couldn't look more beautiful. She smiled and twiddled her thumbs nervously obviously feeling embarrassed.

"Well I know I'm not Hestia but just say something!" she said finally.

"You look pretty," Jasmine and James cleared their throats and said it simultaneously. She laughed at the hilarity of it and climbed down the rest of the stairs.

"Why thank you," she curtsied. Just then, the doorbell rang and Jasmine jumped to her feet. She smoothed down her green dress and attempted to straighten her hair before bustling over to the door.

"Okay, you two, be nice, we don't want anything bad to happen," Jasmine called sternly, before plastering a fake smile on her face and opening the door. James craned his neck to see past her, awfully eager to see what Petunia and Vernon looked like after Lily's hated description of them. When he saw, he gave an audible choke of laughter before Lily smacked the back of his leg in warning.

"We are going to have so much fun," he grinned.

"Petunia! Vernon! Please come in, it's so nice to see you!" Jasmine stepped aside, the chubby face of Vernon appearing over the doorway. He was wearing a suit which was far too small for him and Petunia actually had to come inside from behind him, they simply couldn't fit through the doorway together. James held back a laugh, and even though Lily wanted to set a good example she almost exploded into laughter too. Petunia's tight pink dress made her look unnaturally thin, and her bony face was masked by her frame of brown hair.

"Vernon, you know Lily," Jasmine said. Lily curved her lips in a smile as best she could allow, and Vernon nodded.

"Isn't she the girl who came for the engagement party this summer? Pardon me, but I never seemed to catch the name." he said gruffly, and Lily fumed in anger. James, noticing this, sqeezed her hand as if telling her to calm down.

"She's my sister," Petunia faced Vernon incredulously, and Lily felt a bit better.

"Yes, yes," Vernon said impatiently. James felt like punching him as he saw Jasmine's eyes flashing. "Anyway, me ad Petunia were thinking of going for a movie around two, so is there a chance we could get this over with in half a hour?"

"A movie? What is he talking about Petunia?" Jasmine snapped.

"Can I speak to you, Mother? In private?" Petunia asked. Jasmine nodded curtly and escorted Petunia to the kitchen, leaving the others in the living room.

"Um… Vernon, this is James, my boyfriend." Lily introduced. James held his hand out in greeting but Vernon didn't budge. He was just too busy staring.

"Oh, I'm sorry," James adopted a sympathetic look and dropped his hand by his side. Vernon looked puzzled. "It must be hard for you to lift your hand. It's alright, I totally understand- I had an uncle who weighed so much he couldn't lift it either."

Lily snorted and bit back a laugh while Vernon went purple in the face.

"Did you just insult me?" he asked in a deadly voice.

"What was your first clue, Jelly-Belly?" James asked in a sweet voice. Lily couldn't hold it in anymore- she laughed for a second like a wounded horse, and was just about to burst into peals of laughter until Jasmine and Petunia returned, a peculiar expression on Petunia's face.

"All right! I've just spoken to Petunia and neither of you are going anywhere, this is a family lunch, and we need to get to know each other." said Jasmine.

Vernon tried to hide an eye roll and said, "Fine."

"Oh, and I see you've met James!" she said brightly. "Isn't he a delight?"

"Yes, aren't I?" James looked at Vernon expectantly to see his expression.

"Very much so," Vernon coughed, and James grinned. Jasmine gestured at Lily to introduce James to Petunia, and Lily took a short while to interpret her mother's mouthing after which she nodded.

"Oh, um, right," she cleared her throat. "Petunia, this is James Potter-"

"Nice to meet you," Petunia shook his hand, and James was astounded by her politeness, just saying 'Hello' unable to say anything else.

"Nice watch," he said finally, and Petunia smiled. "Nowhere near as good as Dumbledore's though, if you mind my saying. Bet you could get a better watch in Diagon Alley, though."

Petunia lost her smile.

"You never told me he was a You-Know-What, Lily." she stammered. Lily flushed in anger.

"He's a wizard, and saying the word won't kill you, Tuney,"

"Petunia," he sister corrected.

"Okay! Table's set, let's go eat, everyone," Jasmine clapped her hands together. Lily and Petunia looked away from each other reluctantly. They walked over to the dining table and pulled a chair to sit, the others following suit. Jasmine sat at the head of the table with Lily and James, and Petunia and Vernon on each of her sides.

"So Petunia, for the wedding, I hope you don't mind if James comes along?" asked Lily

"No," she replied (although with a twitch at the side of her mouth), and James watched as Vernon looked at Petunia with a disbelieving look on his fat face.

"You'll look so pretty in the wedding dress I've made you," said Jasmine brightly, and Petunia went pale.

"Actually, me and Petunia have already bought a dress from one of the finest tailors in these parts. I do hope you don't mind," Vernon choked.

"I- I-" Jasmine was truly lost for words. James, not realizing it, kicked his leg as far out as he could in fury, unfortunately hitting Vernon in his flabby calf. Vernon yelled in pain and clutched his foot, Petunia grabbing his shoulders in worry.

"OW! You- son of a- cheesecake-" he spluttered. James didn't really mean to hit him, but now that he had, he didn't feel guilty at all.

"Look who's talking," he muttered.

"What did you just say?" Petunia snapped, hugging Vernon's fat head.

"I said he's an idiot!" James said louder, and Lily put her head in her hands, knowing that sooner or later they were going to be kicked out of the house. "I mean, how could you? Your mother took the time to make a dress for you, and you're going to buy another? What kind of person does that?" Petunia actually cowered, and Vernon glared. James felt tears in his eyes, triggered by his pity for Jasmine.

"Stop," she said. "James, it's okay. Let's just have a normal lunch like any other family, please?"

James shrank in his chair, but didn't stop seething. Lily slowly laced her fingers with his and he gradually calmed down. They spent the rest of the time in silence, at least until he saw something hovering outside the window.

James gave a cry of grief.

It was Evie's head.

Then he blinked, and it was gone.

Even though he knew it wasn't real, he still fell of his chair, trying to erase the horrible images from his head.

"What's wrong?" Lily got up, and grabbed his hand to help him up. He opened his eyes and ran the other hand through his hair.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Jasmine, can I be excused for a second?"

"Of course dear, take your time," Jasmine looked at him in apprehension. He pulled his hand free of Lily's and actually ran up the staircase, knowing that in precisely five seconds, Lily would be coming right after him. Sure enough, no sooner did he open the door to the guest room did Lily appear over the stairs. He groaned in frustration- couldn't she just leave him alone for a minute?

"James!" she called, and he walked into the room quickly and attempted to close the door, but finding a force obstructing it. He looked through the thin sliver of doorway and saw Lily's hand holding the door open, herface screaming determination.

"Lils, let go," he pleaded.

"Not until you tell me what's gotten into you!"

James could have easily just shut the door on her but knew she wouldn't like it, so he settled for something else- a plan which always worked: surprising her completely, he swished the door open and kissed her full on the mouth, forcing her to let go of the door handle. As soon as she did this, he pulled back and shut the door in her face.

"JAMES POTTER YOU OPEN THE DOOR THIS INSTANT!" he heard her scream, but paid her no mind. Collapsing on the bed, he stared at the ceiling, wishing all his dreams would stop.

He would give it time. Not too much time, perhaps; he couldn't live with knowing Evie was continuously dying for his whole life and that if he did nothing about it, it would be.

"You, my friend, are not okay," he whispered to himself.

* * *

James emerged in the late afternoon, feeling a bit better than he had that morning. Bracing himself, he got ready to climb down the stairs but heard a voice call him back.

"Get in here!"

He turned around and saw Lily standing in the doorway to her room with an expression of total anger on her face.

"You look beautiful," James said happily, though not when she walked up and jabbed a finger in his chest.

"What the hell happened before?" she yelled. "You just slammed the door on me! What is wrong with you?"

"I love your hair."

"This isn't a joke, James!" she said louder. "Tell me, right now, or I swear I'm never going to forgive you! And believe me, you don't want that,"

"It was Evie, okay?" he gave in, and Lily withdrew her hand. "I saw her head floating out of the window, like she was dead or something, but I was just hallucinating, it wasn't real! Are you happy now?"

"It's more than that," she said quietly. "There was something else. You need to tell me."

James groaned. "Okay. Fine. I've been getting these really weird dreams every night where she's dead, and the strange part is they're the _exact same _dreams every time. It's scary."

"Are you okay?" she asked sympathetically, after a moment's hesitation.

"Maybe, I-I don't know," he shrugged.

"Do you want to go outside? Maybe It'll help," she offered, and he nodded, and they climbed down the stairs together. "Merlin, James, if you'd told me before maybe I could have done something."

"Like what?" he gave a hollow laugh. "Rock me back to sleep every time I wake up at night? Hardly. There was nothing you could have done, and telling you would have just made it worse."

"I could have told you to go and tell Dumbledore," she said as they walked across the porch, and he laughed again.

"Because Dumbledore has all the answers. No, forget it. I'm not doing anything. They're just dreams, okay? It'll all sort out in time."

"Yeah…" she trailed off as the grass rustled underneath her feet. "Hey, want to go to the park?"

"What?"

"There it is, right in front of my house! I used to go there all the time when I was a kid. In fact, that was where Severus told me I was a witch."

"Okay," he said. Pushing the creaky gate open, Lily led him across the park over to the swings. Sitting on one swing each and rocking back and forth slowly, they sat in silence for as long as ten minutes.

"Let's run away," Lily said suddenly.

"What did you just say?" James asked incredulously.

"I mean, let's go to your house or something. Away from this madhouse, I really don't want to be here for a wedding! You know, some girl named Lynn Baker is the Maid of Honor and not me? Heck, I'm not even a bridesmaid!"

"Do you want to be?"

"Well no, but I thought Tuney would consider it at least,"

"Lils, I know a lot of other people who'd want you to be their Maid of Honor. Why don't you just let go of her already?"

"Yeah, like who?" she snorted, though flattered.

"Does it matter?" he asked. "I'm saying, we don't have to run away. We could just inflict hell on their wedding and make it the worst day of their lives."

Lily laughed, though she felt dead inside. "Have you thought of getting married? Someday?"

"Maybe," he answered. "What about you?"

"To be honest? I really, really want to," Lily blushed.

"And then Petunia wouldn't be your Maid of Honor or a bridesmaid."

"She wouldn't even be invited."

"You know what?" James jumped up all of a sudden, and Lily started. "Enough of all this depression! Get up, we're having your wedding," he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Excuse me, what?" she couldn't help smiling.

"Your wedding! We're having it. Right now. And Petunia isn't invited, and you can choose your Maid of Honor and whatever else."

"I'm- I'm sorry, but I don't think I follow," totally unsurprisingly, she felt her stomach squirm. He held up a finger to tell her to wait a moment, and disappeared behind a bush. A few minutes later, he emerged, holding a grass ring in his hand.

"There! Finally!" he got down on one knee and held the ring up. "Marry me, my dear,"

"Wh-What did you just say?" Lily couldn't feel her legs anymore.

"Relax, Lily! It's just a game! Merlin, did you see your face right now?"James laughed and almost collapsed.

"Oh ha ha," Lily said feebly. "And what happens if I say no?"

"Then the game loses its fun,"

"Okay then, yes!" she cried hysterically, and allowed him to slip the ring on her finger.

"Yay!" he grabbed her around the waist and swung her around in circles as she squealed with laughter.

"Okay, now what?" she asked as he put her to the ground, holding his shoulders so she wouldn't fall to the ground in dizziness.

"Now you choose your Maid of Honor. Who's it going to be?"

"H-Hestia," said Lily.

"And the bridesmaids?"

"Oh, I don't know…" she trailed off. "Alice?"

"Fair enough," he said.

"But you need to choose a Best Man!" Lily said playfully.

"Sirius," James replied, without a second thought, and Lily groaned.

"Please no, the wedding'll be ruined!"

"Are we doing this or not?" he asked. "Now tell me, where do you want it to be?"

"Right here in the yard, in a gigantic tent with a beautiful bed of flowers on the outside."

"Then come on, let's have it,"

"The bride needs to have flowers, doesn't she?" Lily scurried over to the bushes and picked out a bunch of red flowers to match her dress. Positioning herself a few meters away from him, she threw an imaginary veil over her head and held the flowers in front of her.

"That veil is faulty," he called. "I can see right through your eyes," he winked, and she stuck her tongue out.

"Do I imagine you in a suit?"

"Unless you want to get married to a guy in jeans."

"That would be cool, though!"

"Hey, it's _your_ wedding." He said. "Now, let's get started. You can imagine all sorts of stuff you want at your wedding, all the flowers and the tent and you can also think of me as faceless."

"What?" she laughed a little.

"Well, you don't know who you're going to marry so it's only right I should be made faceless."

"Okay, done!"

"Now you walk up the aisle," he stood with his hands folded in front of him, occasionally doing antics with an imaginary Sirius beside him, which made Lily laugh. Feeling miserably childish, she held the flowers properly and walked up the 'aisle', James looking at her in a strange way which made her cheeks go red.

"How was that?" she asked as she took his hand.

"It's your wedding! I'm faceless, remember?"

"Hush, listen to the minister, he's saying something interesting," James put a finger to his lips.

"What's he saying?"

"Something about a brown-haired skinny goat poking out from under the rim, claiming she's your sister and begging to be let in. Really, Lily?" he raised his eyebrows, and she giggled.

"Hey, Petunia!" she turned around and yelled at her non-existent sister. "Jealous much?" she turned back. "She says yes."

"Of course she does,"

"What's the minister saying now?"

"He's saying, 'Do you, Faceless Man, take Lily Evans to be your blah blah blah', I can't remember the words," she chortled. "And I say, I do. Now don't make me repeat it, just say 'I do' and get it over with,"

"Okay, I do," said Lily. "What's he saying now?"

"He says, 'Faceless Man, you may kiss your bride'," James leaned down close. "This is my favorite part," he whispered. Lily smiled against his lips.

"Best wedding ever,"

* * *

James adjusted his tie and looked in the mirror. The wedding was about a hour away, and though he wasn't going to give Vernon and Petunia his best he still needed to be presentable. Just then, the door swung open and Lily walked through, a long light blue dress floating around her feet and her hair tied up in an opulent bun.

"You look much older than you are," teased James, though impressed.

"Thanks," Lily rolled her eyes. "Anyway, are you ready? We'll be leaving in a few minutes."

"Almost…" he trailed off. "Yeah, now I'm done,"

"Great, come on," she noticed the sly grin on James' face. "And please don't ruin the wedding, Mum won't ever forgive me if you do,"

"Oh please," he said. "It's going to be a great wedding, and I'm not going to ruin it,"

"Wonderful."

Within ten minutes, they had been seated in the car and were heading off across the countryside, Lily noticing that James' grin never faltered.

"You're up to something," she said finally.

"It's going to be a great wedding," he replied bluntly.

Nothing very interesting happened for a while, even when they were seated by a gorgeous place near a lake. Even when all the guests arrived, absolutely nothing.

"Great wedding, my foot," Lily expressed her annoyance. "Okay, I've changed my mind. You better do something quick, James, or I'm going to blow a fuse. Look at that Lynn Baker- chatting her crooked teeth off. And- Oh my, my mother's going along with it! That's it: I'm disowning her."

"Come on, look at the bright side. The lake looks beautiful."

"I'm totally cheered up now, thanks," Lily rolled her eyes again.

"Hi!" They were interrupted by a giddy group of girls, all batting their eyelashes at James.

"I'm Ashley, what's your name?" one of them asked while the others giggled.

"None of your business," James said quickly; Lily looked ready to kill.

"Ooh, you're cute. Where are you from?" another asked.

"Goodbye!" Lily said loudly, pulling James away from Ashley and company. "Prank them for me, would you?"

"Gladly," James bent down and pulled something out of his shoe.

"What the heck!" Lily awed, staring at the packet of sweets in his hand. "You carry that stuff in your shoe? That's disgusting!"

"Watch and learn," he winked, and she watched as he walked over to Ashley and offered her the sweets (which Ashley more than gladly accepted) and as he returned in less than a minute.

"Treats stashed with Veritaserum. They'll be over themselves in a few minutes, wait and see."

And so they watched. True to his word, the girls were indeed pulling each other's hair out in no more than five minutes, and actually had to be escorted out.

"That was funny," Lily giggled uncontrollably. "Did you see their faces? I think Ashley lost a tooth."

"And her friends," James added.

"Lily! James! Sir down please, Lily's ready to come out now." Jasmine bustled around. The two obeyed and sat down, having to wait at least fifteen minutes before the music started. As was customary, they stood up and faced the archway as Lynn Baker walked through, her bouquet to her chest and her eyes bright (Lily gritted her teeth all the while). A couple of bridesmaids later, Petunia herself came through, and as the crowd 'Ooohed' at her dress Lily and James just made a face at her ridiculous figure. As soon as she took Vernon's hand, they sat down, James putting his hand on Lily's leg.

"I'd rather not watch, don't you think?" he whispered, and she nodded.

"Yes."

"Petunia, I remember when I first met you…" Vernon began his vows, and James had to stuff his fingers in his ears to drown out the voice, but Lily pulled them out.

"Oh, shut up and be civilized for once," she said firmly, and he grouched. Once Petunia finished saying her vows he sighed in relief, and put his arms behind his head.

"Finally!" he exclaimed. "You can't admit that wasn't horrible."

"Seriously, James! Now's not the time! Shut it," she whispered dangerously.

"But he's so fat!" James protested, and a large, portly woman in front of him turned around with a furious glare in her eyes. "Why, are you his mother?" she nodded. "Look, I guessed! Want to know how I guessed? Well, first, I can tell where ol' Verny got the fat gene from, and his nose is just like yours. What a wonderful squashed nose you've got Ma'am, you must be proud."

Lily put a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise and looked at Mrs. Dursley apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry, Mrs Dursley, he's not usually like this-"

With one last glare at James, Vernon's mother looked back in the front and Lily removed her hand from his mouth. But, before she could give him a thorough beating, she was interrupted by a long bout of clapping. Facing the front, she realized that Vernon had apparently just said 'I do,'.

"Yay for you," James grumbled.

The minister smiled. "I now pronounce you…"

"Butterball and Wife! Congrats!" James said loudly, and several people looked at him as he turned red in the face. Lily snorted in laughter but he didn't feel any better. "Sorry. Go on, Mister Minister."

"Ahem. I now pronounce you Man and Wife. You may kiss your bride."

Lily and James both looked down at precisely the same moment and didn't look up for a full two minutes, until all the guests got up and began to make for the tent nearby, which enclosed the dance floor.

"Do you want to stay for cake or just leave?" James asked.

"Just leave. Please," she sighed, closing her eyes. When she opened them she found James standing in front of her, a bouquet of the same red flowers from yesterday clutched in his hand.

"You never through the bouquet at the wedding yesterday," he handed the flowers to her and she couldn't help laughing.

"Right. Voila!" she chucked the flowers over her shoulder and turned around to see them land with a soft 'Kerplop' in the lake.

"Right! They're mine!" James ran to the edge of the lake and got ready to dive in.

"Um, James? Aren't the girls supposed to catch the bouquet?"

"But I'm faceless. For all you know, you could be marrying a girl."

"Seriously?" she grinned, but he had already jumped in. He resurfaced about a minute later, holding the bunch of red flowers.

"I'm never getting rid of these," he waved them over his head.

"Urgh, look, the suit's all torn down!" she exclaimed. "Go get changed, and I'll call a cab."

"But the wedding isn't over yet." He grabbed her hand and they walked across the banks of the lake.

"What do you mean-" she stopped mid-sentence as she saw him smirking at a beautiful black limo marked 'Just Married'. "Oh James, we wouldn't! What about Vernon and Petunia, that's their car-"

"But that's not their limo," he winked. "_That's _their limo," he pointed at another one a bit away from their own.

"You called a limo?" she gasped.

"No actually, Frederic did. He's our butler. Now are you coming or not?"

"Hell yes," she slipped her arm through his and together they ran across the lawn and through the cute bushes, laughing all the while. "Look, we're running away!"

"With good cause," he grimaced at the tent and opened the limo door for Lily to climb through. "There. Did you get your dream wedding?"

"It was better than my dream wedding," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Your dream wedding with the Faceless Man," he winked, and she smiled. But as she looked at him , she wondered whether the Faceless Man just wasn't faceless anymore.

* * *

**Did you like it? Hope you did :)**

**Anyway, I had this idea which I'm not sure would work out, so I really need your opinion. I was thinking of dividing their seventh year into two parts, otherwise the story is going to be way too big! Like two different fanfictions, one a sequel for this one. I was wondering whether I should do that or make this just one big story? If you guys could help out, that would be great :) Just tell me what you think and I'll write accordingly. **

**Thanks! **


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